As It Should Be
by CelestialSeaWitch
Summary: Five years post-war, life is going well for the Golden Trio. The Wizarding World is slowly pulling itself back together, the Trio have jobs and lives, and despite the terrible new Minister in place, everything is exactly as it should be. Well, everything will be exactly as it should be thanks to the new marriage law.
1. Part One: i

Warnings for: sex, mentions of sex, underage sex, manipulation and abuse, and definite swearing. If any of these things bother you, please turn back now.

* * *

.i.

"Oh, Merlin! I love it!" Ginny cried happily as she held up the sleek white dinner plate. She smiled widely at Alice, one of her fellow Quidditch players. "They're exactly what I wanted."

Alice smiled beautifully and nodded once. The girls all tittered and passed around the plates to admire as Ginny set about picking another present to open. "They're very lovely, Alice, dear," Mrs. Weasley commented, "they'll make fine additions to the kitchen."

"Additions?" Ginny snorted. "They're gonna completely replace what we've got." She rolled her eyes. "Harry has ghastly taste in… well, pretty much everything."

"Except women!" a particularly tipsy guest cried out and all the girls laughed.

Olive, a tall blonde haired woman, crashed down beside Ginny on the couch and hugged her tightly. "This is so exciting! I'm so happy for you!"

Ginny laughed and smiled. "I can still hardly believe it's actually happening!"

Hermione, sitting across the room with Luna on their own little two-seater, looked up from her cake and asked, "Have you set a date yet?"

Ginny's mouth pinched slightly. Only Mrs. Weasley, Luna, and Hermione noticed the movement of annoyance. "We haven't settled on an _exact_ one yet. But it's still so early. We have plenty of time, really."

Another Holyhead Harpy, Edith, rolled her eyes from her seat on the floor by the coffee table at Ginny's feet. "What's the wait for? Just pick a place. You'll be so wasted by the end of the night you won't remember what the venue looked like anyways." Mrs. Weasley shot Edith a horrified look while Ginny burst into laughter.

"Godric's ghost, I hope that's not the case." She shook her head and selected another gift. "Anyways, I'm not worried." Her smile was wide and tight. "We'll figure it out."

"Christ," Olive cursed with a laugh, "you're the most laid back bride I've ever met. Damn. I bet Christie 50 galleons you'd be a monster."

Christie smirked from where she sat in the armchair. "There's still time yet." Ginny and the other girls laughed. "What _I_ want to know about is when we're going dress shopping. For you, and for us beautiful bridesmaids." She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and it nearly hit Hermione in the face.

The curly haired witch jerked back and rolled her eyes. She glanced over at Luna who smiled sadly and said, "I should clean these up." Luna began picking up the plates of cake that the Holyhead Harpies had refused to touch.

Hermione touched her arm. "I'll help." Luna smiled gratefully at Hermione and the two began cleaning up the plates and cake. They moved into the kitchen and away from the commotion of the bridal shower. Laughter and exclamations drifted in down the hall to them, but the conversation was otherwise — thankfully — muffled.

Hermione placed the cake slices back in the box, trying to fit the mostly intact cake back together. Only she, Luna, and Mrs. Weasley had eaten their slices. She glanced over her shoulder at Luna, who was taking the utensils and placing them in the sink. "How're you doing?"

Luna nodded absently. "I'm well. I'm going to go an extended trip into Norway for work."

Hermione's brows raised. "That's wonderful, Luna! I had no idea. When did you decide?"

Luna blinked her wide, blue eyes once. "Oh, just today, actually." She turned to the sink.

Hermione winced. She looked over her shoulder towards where the bride and her bridesmaids were laughing and talking. A bubble of anger rose up in Hermione's chest. She shook her head and squashed the anger down. "Well, I think that's just lovely." She brought the plates to the sink Luna was slowly filling with warm water and soap. "What sort of creatures are you looking for? Or are you going to go with an open mind?"

Luna smiled softly at Hermione, not her usual one. It was still a little sad, but Hermione was grateful to see a smile on the blonde's face at all. "I always try to have an open mind when exploring. But I don't think I've yet to give up on father's Crumple-Horned-Snorkack."

Hermione couldn't stop her smile of amusement at that. "Of course not. I'd start to worry if you ever did." Luna hummed in response as she began washing the dishes by hand.

The bridal shower slowly wound down as many of the guests left. Mrs. Weasley helped Ginny move the gifts into the spare bedroom while Luna and Hermione finished cleaning.

"Thanks, mum," Ginny said as she kissed her mum on the cheek, "the bridal shower was lovely."

"Think nothing of it, dear." She held Ginny's face and smiled warmly. "More than happy to do it. My only daughter…" She kissed Ginny's forehead. "I am so happy for you."

"Thanks, mum." They hugged before Mrs. Weasley departed, making sure to pop her head in the kitchen to say goodbye to Hermione and Luna as she left.

Ginny came in after and smiled brightly. "Wow, this place looks awesome. Thanks for the help. This day has been crazy."

Luna nodded once. "It's probably to do with all the Rockwurks."

Ginny smiled and rolled her eyes. "Right, I'm sure it is. I'm just going to go get changed. Be back in a sec."

"I'm going to go, actually," Luna interjected quickly. "I promised my father I'd visit today." Hermione glanced sidelong at Luna. Her father had passed a little over a year ago. Luna had made regular trips to his grave when it had first happened. Recently, the blonde witch had only made the trips when upset. Hermione had found the trips only made her more upset than she already was.

"I can go with you," Hermione offered quietly.

Luna shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine, thank you."

Ginny nodded easily. "Okay, well, thanks for coming." She gave Luna a hug. "I'll see you around?" Luna nodded and left. Ginny turned to Hermione. "I'll be back in a second. Tea?"

Hermione nodded and went about putting a pot up and grabbing some scones from where she knew Harry tended to hide them — not that he needed to, Ginny wasn't a massive fan of scones. She warmed a lavender and blueberry scone and began to eat it slowly as she waited for the water to boil.

The front door opened.

Hermione smiled. She stayed standing at the kitchen table as the newcomer went about taking off their cloak and setting down their bag. A tall, dark-haired figure passed by the kitchen door. He waved and mumbled, "Hey, Gin." Harry stopped. Paused. Took two steps back so he was standing in the open archway again. His eyes locked on the smirking Hermione standing in his kitchen. A massive smile stretched across his face. Harry dashed into the kitchen. Hermione barely had time to laugh before he scooped her up into a massive hug. "Hey, you."

"Hey, yourself."

"I haven't seen you in ages," he whispered into her hair.

Hermione smiled into his chest, her toes barely touched the floor as he nearly squeezed the life out of her. "Not my fault, Mr. Get's Engaged and Doesn't Tell Me."

Harry eased back and Hermione's feet fell back against the tile floor. He didn't let go of her. "Yeah, well… it only just happened."

"So?" She pinched his arm and he gasped in mock hurt. "You didn't even tell me you were thinking about asking."

He rolled his eyes and glanced around the kitchen. His eyes settled on her plate on the table. "Are you eating my scones?"

Hermione's cheeks turned pink. "No?"

"Hermione…"

"You don't even like lavender scones!"

"You little thief!" She stuck her tongue out. "I think that's your most mature comeback yet." Hermione popped another piece of the scone in her mouth defiantly. "I'm telling on you. Are you coming to dinner on Friday?"

Hermione shook her head. "Work."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "You haven't been there in months."

She winced. "I know, I'm sorry. But I've been substituting and having Sunday tea with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley instead." She shrugged. "And whoever else is free usually stops by."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Since when?"

"Since the first week that I missed Friday dinner."

"I didn't know that. Did I know this?"

Hermione nodded. "Probably. Ginny's been to tea before. She knows about it." Harry's nose wrinkled as he thought. He must have forgotten. How could he have forgotten that?

"While I'll have to stop by this Sunday, then. I hardly see you."

"You're seeing me now."

He nodded. "Yes, but it's been too long. You look different. Your hair's different and apparently, you don't wear makeup again and since when did you start wearing skirts?" He pulled back slightly to look down at her long, _long_, legs. She was too short to have legs that long.

Hermione's hand left Harry's waist to self-consciously pull on her jean skirt. "I don't know, it's supposed to be cute. It's not cute?"

Harry smiled. "You look lovely. You always do."

She smiled back and fixed her halter top. "Yeah well, it's a bridal shower, you're supposed to dress at least a bit nicer than usual."

"A what?"

Hermione looked up at him. "A bridal shower."

Harry still looked confused. "Why would you be having a—?" His sentence broke off as the realization hit him.

Ginny entered the kitchen. She paused briefly at the door when she saw Harry standing with his arms wrapped loosely around Hermione. She smiled brightly. "Hey, Harry." Ginny came forward and ran her fingers back through Harry's fringe, forcing him to step back from Hermione. She pressed a kiss against her fiancé's cheek. Harry pulled back and set his fringe back over his scar.

"Hey, what's this I hear about a bridal shower?" Harry tried to keep the annoyance from his face.

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's mum. She went crazy when she heard the news." She waved her hand, the massive rock on her finger glinting in the light. "You know how she can be."

"It's been two weeks, Gin. You don't think that's a bit early for a bridal shower? Don't people usually announce an engagement first?" He looked to Hermione for support but the curly haired witched was stuffing her face with lavender scones and deliberately looking away.

"Oh, ease up, Harry. It's not like I could have exactly said no. She's my mum. She wanted to do this for me, so I let her. We all had a great time and it turned out to be perfect because I got to ask all the girls to be a part of the bridal party."

Harry's brows rose. "Bridal party? Gin, I thought we agreed on a long engagement."

Ginny smiled like she thought his confusion was adorable. Her fingers pushed back his fringe again. "Oh Harry, it's going to take a year to plan the wedding anyways. If we want to do it right, at least." The water finished boiling and Hermione quickly pulled it off the burner for something to do. "And we still need to pick a date. I leave in a few days for work, as you know, so we should check venues before then and—"

"We can't."

"Excuse me?"

"Unless we plan to go somewhere muggle or unofficial." Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry looked away.

Ginny gasped suddenly. "Bloody hell, you haven't registered the engagement with the Ministry yet, have you?"

"Ginny…"

"Harry Potter!"

Hermione's eyes widened. She grabbed her bag and slowly edged out of the kitchen. She just barely managed to get out of the apartment before the shouting truly started. Hermione winced and shook her head. She was glad Ginny had agreed on at least a yearlong engagement because those two still had quite a bit to sort out.

Hermione turned on her foot and disapparated.

:::

Hermione was curled up on the couch with a book in front of the fire when there was a timid knock at the door. She paused in her reading and looked up curiously. People usually used the floo and her muggle family didn't normally stop by unannounced. Hermione set her book down and moved across to the small entranceway of her one bedroom apartment. She opened the door and was almost unsurprised to find Luna standing on the other side.

Luna looked up from the floor, her bright blue eyes shining. There was a moment of silence before the blonde witch broke down in tears. Hermione's heart broke for her. "Oh, Luna…" She took Luna's arm and guided her inside and onto the couch. They curled up together under the throw as Luna continued to sob into Hermione's shoulder. Hermione held the younger witch in her arms and softly stroked her hair.

"Why-" she hiccupped and stuttered out, "why didn't she ask me?"

Hermione tightened her hold on Luna. "I don't know," she whispered.

"I - I thought she was my best friend." Hermione pressed a kiss to her head. She had thought the same thing. Luna and Ginny had been extremely close, even before school started. They grew up together. "Did…" Luna pulled back and the heartbroken expression on her face made Hermione's chest tight. "…did I do something wrong?"

"No," Hermione rushed to assure, "no, of course not." She pushed Luna's curls back from her face and smiled warmly. "You haven't done anything wrong." She knew how difficult Luna found friendships — finding them, maintaining them. Luna was much more at ease with creatures and plants than humans. Ginny knew this better than most. "I think… I think maybe Ginny just wanted to make her friends on the team feel more involved?"

Hermione didn't know why Ginny hadn't asked her or Luna to be bridesmaids. The three of them had been so close, especially so after the war. Had they drifted apart since then? Hermione had certainly gotten more involved with work since finishing her apprenticeship with the Department of Mysteries. She had become a fully fledged Unspeakable, given her own projects and divisions of research and everything. Perhaps she hadn't spent enough time with her friends.

Luna cuddled up against Hermione again and continued to cry. Hermione held her until she finally managed to calm down. They sat in the silence of the apartment for a long while. Finally, Hermione asked, "Are you hungry?" Luna shook her head. "Thirsty? You should probably drink some water." She shrugged. "Come on."

Hermione guided Luna up and off the couch. They moved through the open apartment to the door at the end of a short hall. Hermione's modest-sized bedroom was within. "Here, let's get you some clothes. You can stay here tonight." She grabbed her comfiest sweater and sweats for Luna and left her to change. "I'll grab you some water."

Luna entered the kitchen a few moments later. Hermione handed her the water. "Thank you," she said, not talking about the water.

"It's no problem," Hermione smiled softly, "just what friends do for each other." Luna smiled sadly. "Are you still planning to go to Norway?" Luna nodded. "Good. I think that's a really great idea, Luna. I know you've wanted to do it for a while now." Luna had pretty much the entire trip planned out when her father suddenly got sick. She'd put it off, and then he'd passed away and Luna hadn't been able to even consider leaving the country since then. "You're going to have such a wonderful time." Luna nodded. She yawned. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Luna took her water with her and the two went back into the bedroom. They crawled into bed and Hermione spooned Luna until she fell asleep. Hermione sighed. She wanted to be angry with Ginny about this, but it was difficult to be angry with the bride-to-be. Hermione knew she could never bring any of this up with Ginny. If Hermione tried to touch upon what Ginny's actions had done to Luna, it would cause a massive fight. Ginny had always had a quick temper, but Hermione had noticed that it became even worse when put against Hermione.

The wedding was a year off, Hermione reasoned. And Luna would be gone for the next little while and so would Ginny for work. It wasn't worth it to start a fight right now. Hermione figured it was probably safest to just let it go. She just hoped Luna would be feeling better about it all when she returned from Norway.

:::

Hermione awoke when the floo activated. She had her wards set to alert her whenever someone entered the apartment and the magical tingling it caused jolted her awake. She grabbed her wand and silently rolled out of bed in one fluid motion. Her wards were highly advanced and only a small list of people could just floo into her apartment without permission. This didn't stop her from being overly cautious about the fact that it was 2 am and someone had just entered her apartment.

She slipped out of the bedroom, wand raised in defence. The fingers on her free hand stretched out and quickly flicked the light on.

Harry stood by her floo. The tension instantly left Hermione's body. She figured he might stop by after his and Ginny's fight finally wound down. She didn't think it would take so long though. Hermione stopped on the other side of the living space.

"Hey," Harry whispered.

"Hey." She came around the couch and paused when she saw his bags on the floor. Harry had never brought bags before. "Harry?"

"The wedding's off."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What?"

Harry shook his head. "Or on a break. Or on hold. I don't fucking know." He stepped over the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch.

Hermione sat down next to him. "What happened?"

"Hiroshima."

"Harry…"

He looked over at her, his eyes wide and sad. "I just… I wanted more time."

"You still have a year." Harry sighed and looked away. She raised her hand and stroked her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck the way she knew he liked. "If you weren't ready for this, why did you propose?"

He shook his head. "I didn't. We just… we agreed it was the right step to take."

"Well, obviously not, if you're not ready."

"We've been together for seven years. Gin wanted to get married ages ago. Everyone wanted us to." He didn't sound happy about that fact.

"Well, it's not about them. It's about you and Ginny and what you two are ready for. It's about you and what _you_ want."

"Is it?" he asked scathingly. "That's new." Hermione scowled at his tone. Harry hugged a throw pillow to his stomach and looked away. "She's leaving for work on Tuesday. She'll be gone for four weeks. We decided the time apart would be good."

"It probably will be."

He sighed and turned to look back at her again. "She was mad that I didn't register the engagement." Hermione made a face and didn't say anything. She'd be mad too if she were Ginny. One had to register their engagement to the Ministry before it was considered official. There was lots of paperwork that needed to be sorted through in order to properly set up when and how the couple would be magically bonded. It was a special procedure that only some extremely qualified witches and wizards were able to do. Harry putting off registering the engagement was akin to leaving her at the altar by some, definitely by Ginny.

Harry groaned and leaned into Hermione. He rested his head against her shoulder. "Mrs. Weasley is going to flip. She's going to kill me." Harry pulled back. "Oh, god. I'm going to die."

Hermione tried not to laugh. She held his face gently and smiled. "You're going to be fine. Ginny won't tell Mrs. Weasley and you're not going to say anything either. You both know better than that. It's just a fight. Ginny will cool down, so will you. She'll come home and you two will sort it out."

Harry stared intensely into Hermione's brown eyes. He nodded slowly. If Hermione said it, he had to believe it was true. "I didn't want to be there before she left on Tuesday."

Hermione nodded. "You can stay here."

"Thanks." He grinned lopsidedly. "I don't know what I'd do without you, 'Mione."

She shrugged and smiled. "Probably live a life where your best friend hasn't given you food poisoning on five separate occasions."

Harry snorted out a laugh. "Now, where's the fun in that?"

:::

When Hermione stumbled out of the bedroom less than four hours later, it was to the smell of bacon and pancakes. Her stomach growled loudly. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her riotous curls up into a bun as she walked blindly from the bedroom to the kitchen.

Harry was cooking up a massive breakfast. He smiled brightly when he saw her. "Morning, love." He kissed her temple before moving back to the stove and expertly flipping a pancake in the air.

Hermione hummed in response and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. She turned and held it up near her face as she smiled sweetly. "Coffee?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at her. "You know that stuff is bad for you, right?"

Hermione narrowed her own eyes. "You know what's bad for you, right?"

"Not giving you coffee?" She nodded. Harry sighed and grabbed the pot of freshly made coffee. He poured it into her massive cup.

Hermione smelled the strong scent and sighed happily. "Thank you. Need any help?" She picked up a grape from the platter of fruits on the kitchen island and popped it in her mouth.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, if I need someone to burn the bloody building down, I'll call you right away."

"Oi."

"I'm surprised you even have food in your fridge." Hermione wrinkled her nose at his comment as she ate another grape. "Actually, I'm worried. You're not cooking, are you?"

She pouted. "No…" She droned the word out, feeling like a child. "I usually eat out. Or order in nowadays."

Harry nodded and pointed to the stack of take-out menus. "I had noticed that." He raised an eyebrow. "Where'd all this come from, then?"

Hermione shrugged and went to help flip the bacon but Harry batted her hand away. She huffed. "My grandparents stopped by on Friday. Grams was horrified at the state of the kitchen and they took me shopping. I made sure to mostly get fruits and vegetables."

"Smart."

She glared at him. "I can cook."

"You can burn." She threw a grape at him. It missed and landed near the burner. Miraculously, a fire started. Harry cursed and waved his hand. The fire went out and the grape vanished. He pointed to the living room. "Out."

Properly scolded, Hermione went and sat on the stool at the island. She continued to pick at the freshly cut fruits arranged there whilst she sipped her coffee. "When do you work today?"

"I don't start until eight today, but I'm working a double so I probably won't be home until well after midnight." Hermione nodded. She knew Harry worked tirelessly. In a stunning turn of events, he had not opted to join the auror department. Instead, he'd returned to Hogwarts and finished his final year with marks that made even Hermione proud. Harry had then gone straight into the Healing program and became a children's Healer. If it wasn't for the fact Hermione knew Harry loved his job, she'd had been concerned with how much he worked.

"I'll leave you some leftover takeout. Chinese?"

Harry moaned and nodded. "I love leftover Chinese."

"Everyone does, Harry. It's a fact of life."

The bedroom door opened and Luna slipped out. Harry looked up and a pleasantly surprised smile crossed his face. "Hey, angel." Luna's eyes lit up when she saw Harry. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He pressed a kiss to her head. "I didn't know you were here." He looked over her head of blonde curls to Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "Full house?"

Hermione nodded and shrugged as she ripped a piece off of a still warm pancake. "There's a cat hiding around here somewhere as well. She disappears." Hermione did not seem concerned as she popped the piece of pancake in her mouth.

Harry grinned at her. He pulled back from Luna and smiled down at her kindly. "How you doin' there, sis?"

Luna smiled. "Better now. Hermione is a wonderful friend."

Harry nodded in agreement. "If only she was as good of a cook as she was a friend."

"I will throw another grape at you," she threatened.

Harry turned back to Luna. "Breakfast?" The blonde nodded and went around to take the other stool beside Hermione. Harry finished serving up breakfast and stood on the opposite side of the island from the girls as he ate.

He was slightly surprised to find Luna here but knew it probably had to do with Ginny's choice in bridesmaids. He glanced at Hermione and they shared a look. Yes, he thought, definitely that. Harry tried not to let it make him even angrier than he already was with Ginny. But to say that Ginny's choice in bridal party hadn't been a part of their argument would be a lie.

Luna wasn't just Ginny's best friend but was practically Harry's family. The two had become quite close since their stay at Shell Cottage during the war. When Harry had returned to Hogwarts after the war, the bond had only strengthened further. Harry thought maybe he finally got the whole sibling thing now. Luna was without a doubt, his little sister. He was extremely protective of her and Ginny's thoughtless action did not sit well with him. Maybe he would ask Luna to be one of his groomsmen. The thought made Harry smile.

"Right," Hermione said after she finished her breakfast. "I'll start on cleaning this mess up. You finish your breakfast," she directed to Harry, "and then grab a shower. You know where everything is." Harry nodded and moved to take her seat next to Luna.

"Are you staying?" she asked Harry, her blue eyes as wide and surprised as usual.

Harry nodded as he swallowed down his bacon. "Just for a few days."

"That's nice." She turned her attention to Hermione. "Thank you for letting me spend the night. I'm going to go home and start on my preparations."

Hermione nodded. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"I will. Goodbye." Luna slipped from her chair and disappeared through the floo.

Harry stared after the blonde curiously before he turned back to Hermione. "Was she wearing your favourite sweater?"

Hermione sighed. "Unfortunately. But I think it means more to her now than it ever did to me." She smiled sadly at Harry before she turned back to the sink. "I'll just get a new one."

"What preparations is Luna making?"

"She's decided to finally take her trip to Norway."

"Really? That's fantastic." He paused. "I just wish it were under better circumstances."

Hermione nodded as she scrubbed a pan clean. "Either way, it's definitely something she needs to do. It'll be good for her." Harry set his and Luna's dishes in the sink and pressed a kiss to Hermione's head. "Thanks for breakfast," she said as she smiled up at him.

"My pleasure. You know I love teasing you in the kitchen."

"Only in the kitchen?"

"I've been known to branch out from time to time."

Hermione rolled her eyes but she was smiling. She nodded to the bedroom. "Go shower, you smell."

"You like my smell."

"Not this one," she scoffed. Harry held a hand to his chest and stumbled back dramatically. "Uh huh, keep going. The further you get, the better it smells in here."

"_Heartless wench_," he hissed with a playful smirk.

Hermione gasped. "Harry James! What have I said about insults in parseltongue?" Harry laughed and ducked into the bedroom. Hermione shook her head and huffed. A smile stretched across her lips as she continued the dishes.

:::

"This isn't my job!" Hermione protested to the short and extremely rude Ministry official. "Go hire some Arithmancers to do your dirty work. I'm an Unspeakable, I have a job to do and that's not," she gestured to one of the many meter high stacks of parchment, "doing your bloody paperwork."

The ministry official glared at her. "We looked at hiring an Arithmancer, but they aren't confidential and none of them are as good as you." Hermione's eyes narrowed. She would not be swayed by flattery. A vicious smirk slithered across the man's face. "And none of them are technically employed by the Ministry already and therefore required to do the work we assign them. Regardless of if they think it's their job or not."

Hermione's glare could burn cities to the ground. She leaned over her massive oak desk. "You are not my supervisor. Unspeakable Spratt would—"

"Spratt has been made aware of the situation. You've been given temporary leave from your projects and any others have been sifted off to other Unspeakables."

"What!?" No one else could take her projects they were _hers_. She fought for those projects. "No!"

"The minister himself assigned this to you. You have no choice, Miss. Granger." Hermione's raged bubbled and boiled beneath the surface of her skin. She wished Kingsley were still the minister. This never would have happened with him in charge.

"What do I do?"

The ministry official, no matter how rude, clearly knew better than to smirk in triumph. He pointed to the parchments. "All data has been collected and orchestrated into numbers and algorithms. Each parchment is a separate subject. Your job is to find the closest possible matches of two subjects by numerical order. There are three separate categories to determine this by, all of which have already been calculated on the page. Simply go through them all and use the correct algorithms to determine the best possible combinations."

"What are they? The subjects, I mean. Potions? Creatures? Spells?"

"That's on a need to know basis."

Hermione bristled. "Considering I am the one doing the work, it is need-to-know. It heavily affects the outcome of the algorithms."

He shook his head. "You don't have high enough security to know." Hermione narrowed her eyes. She bloody well saved the world. What higher security did one need? "Everything else has been taken care of. You just need to combine subjects as best you can."

"And if more than one subject works in numerical value with another?"

He shrugged. "Flip a sickle." With that final word of advice, the ministry official departed.

Hermione let out a frustrated scream. She fell back into her seat and glared out across her suddenly very cramped office. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands of parchments were stacked across her office and she had to cross-reference every single one to another. This would take her ages. Her head dropped to the desk and the movement caused a stack of parchment to shift before sliding to the floor. Hermione didn't even both to look up at the mess. She groaned.

:::

It took her a week to find a simpler solution than going through every parchment over a hundred thousand times. She figured out a system of dividing the parchments according to the three numerical values placed alongside the main subject — also denoted by a numerical value. All parchments with a number no greater or less than a difference of three were placed together. There were hundreds of piles and they littered her office in a sort of terrifyingly logical chaos. She did this for the first numerical value she had to sort them by that she called Article A. Once they were sorted, she waved her wand and each group was designated a coloured sticky on the side.

Then she repeated the process for Article B.

Then again for article C.

By the end of the second week, she had the subjects in groups based on the colour of the stickies. Still a substantial amount of parchments, but now there were a significantly smaller amount of parchments she needed to cross-reference with one another. There was no point in checking the combination structure of subject 42678 with the colours: red, green, and aqua against subject 5436 with the colours: pink, yellow, and orange. Obviously, there was no logical connection between the two.

Bolstered by her progress, Hermione began taking home piles of parchments. She took the easiest piles first, the ones that had all matching colours. About halfway through the third week, she found something that raised her eyebrows.

A perfect match.

It hadn't happened yet. Hermione had gone through countless parchments and cross-referenced thousands of parchments against one another and yet here it was. A perfect match. She paused, suddenly terrified. Her eyes drifted over to the stack of matched subjects she'd already finished. None of them were perfect.

Was it a mistake?

She looked at the clock. It was well past midnight and she knew she was on her fourth coffee already. No. It must be a mistake. Hermione left the two parchments where they were on her coffee table. She would review it in the morning. It was so late it was nearly early and Hermione was exhausted. But suddenly she was wide awake with fear. Were there supposed to be perfect matches?

She shook her head. No. She'd tested a subject in the pool against every other before making a tentative match. And those were still subject to change when she started on a new parchment — and change they did. Hermione was constantly making revisions. No. Either perfect matches didn't exist in which case she had messed something up — a very probable possibility — or… or they did. Hermione made a face and rubbed her eyes.

Sleep. She needed sleep.

She crawled into bed and snuggled up next to the stuffed plushie Luna had sent her from Norway. Perhaps she'll find more perfect matches in the morning.

She didn't. Throughout the rest of the week Hermione found combinations of subjects that got as high as in the 90th percentile, but no 100. Just the one. She eyed the two perfect parchments in annoyance. There was always anomalies in Arithmancy and it was one of the reasons she had never pursued it as a career. Hermione hated mathematical anomalies. They always threw the entire curve off and made her second guess herself.

:::

Hermione sat with the two parchments in front of her near the end of her fourth week on the assignment. She had nearly finished everything. It was just those two bloody parchments that were still driving her round the bend. She sipped her coffee as she glared at them.

The floo flared and Harry tumbled out. He shook his head and stood back up. "Hey, Dumbo," Hermione greeted with a smile.

He smiled and stepped over the coffee table to sit with her. "Hey, yourself." He leaned over and kissed her cheek before he pressed his nose near her mug. He inhaled, hoping for tea, and wrinkled his nose when he smelled coffee. He pouted and sat back.

"Would you like me to put on some tea, Harry?"

He smiled boyishly. "Would you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and waved her wand. The pot instantly went about filling itself and sitting down on the burner. "How was work?"

Harry smiled widely. "Amazing. Riley pushed through. She's going to make it."

Hermione gasped happily. "Harry, that's fantastic."

He shook his head in wonder. "She's such a strong kid. Going to be one hell of a witch. Almost makes me wish I'd gone into teaching."

Hermione nodded and shrugged. She remembered how much Harry had debated back and forth about Healing or teaching in their final year. "Yes, but then who would have been there to make sure Riley would get to go to Hogwarts in the first place?"

Harry grinned. "Too right." He nodded at her. "What were you glaring about when I came through?"

She scowled and turned back to the parchments. "They're a perfect match."

Harry shook his head though he didn't really know what she was talking about. "Those bastards." Hermione snorted in amusement. He knew she'd been given some sort of massive assignment because she'd taken to bringing it home. But since it was Unspeakable business, Harry was left in the dark beyond that. All the parchments he saw were completely blank. He assumed Hermione saw things on them or at least he hoped she did.

He looked back at her. "Did you find any others?" She shook her head. "Could be in a different batch?"

"I've finished."

"Already?"

She narrowed her eyes at the two pieces of parchment. "I was motivated."

Harry laughed. He got up when the pot began to whistle. He made himself a cup of tea before joining Hermione back on the couch. "So, Ginny comes home tomorrow."

Hermione looked over the rim of her mug to him. "How has that been going?"

Harry nodded. "Good. You know I've been owling her." When Hermione nodded, he continued. "We've been talking a lot of things out. And I mean, we still need to talk when she gets home… but I think it's going to be okay."

Hermione smiled. "Good. You two deserve to be happy."

Harry smiled back. "Thanks, love." He rested his hand on her ankle where her foot was pressed against his thigh and squeezed it warmly. Harry turned to look at the parchments on the coffee table as he thought. His thumb slowly rubbed circles along Hermione's skin.

"Guess what!" Harry turned to her and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "It's Thursday," Hermione announced proudly, "and I've finished my assignment. Which means…"

Harry's eyes widened. "You're going to Friday night dinner?"

Hermione nodded excitedly.

Harry laughed. "That's fantastic! Teddy and Victoire will be ecstatic!" Harry snorted in amusement. "Oh, I can't wait to see Mrs. Weasley try and set you and Ron up again. It's the little things in life, I'm telling you."

Hermione scrunched her nose up and poked his thigh with her toe. "Stop it, you. It's been ages since Ron and I dated. He has a child for Merlin's sake — soon to be children, Mrs. Weasley needs to give it up."

"Children," Harry said as he raised his finger, "but no marriage."

"Breaking Mrs. Weasley's heart."

"Living in sin."

"You're one to talk."

"Oi!"

Hermione threw her head back as she laughed. "As far as Mrs. Weasley is concerned, I'm the only innocent child she has left." Her smile as she said that was in itself a sin.

Harry snorted and nearly choked on his tea. "Christ. If she knew half the things I did."

"Shut it." She kicked his thigh and he grabbed her foot strongly enough that she couldn't do it again.

"Right, how old were you when you lost it, again? Just so we're clear, here?" Harry made a face as if trying desperately to remember.

Hermione gasped in false outrage. "That is none of your business."

He set his tea down on the coffee table and snapped his fingers. "Right, that's it. Fourth year. You lost it in _fourth year_."

Hermione sat up from where she'd fallen back into a more reclined position. She set her own mug down and gave Harry a challenging look. "He was an international quidditch player, of course, I slept with him." She raised an eyebrow. "As if you wouldn't have done the same."

Harry nodded agreeably. "Oh, without a doubt. Bloody handsome bloke, Viktor Krum."

She smirked. "I'll be sure to tell Viktor next time he's in London."

"Talking?" Harry looked terribly confused. "I thought Viktor was more of a… _physical being_?" Hermione made a sound of joking outrage. She flew forward and tackled Harry against the side of the couch. Harry laughed loudly.


	2. ii

.ii.

"Auntie 'Mione!" Victoire and Teddy cried as they raced towards her. Hermione laughed and dropped to her knees just in time to accept the double hug. She nearly fell back but just managed to keep balance.

"Oh, I missed the two of you." She pulled back and smiled at the two happy children. "Are you being good?" Victoire nodded proudly and Teddy smirked. Hermione stuck her finger under his nose. "You're spending far too much time with your godfather."

Teddy pushed her hand away. "Nooo…" He crossed his arms and his hair turned black and unruly like a Potter, his eyes bright emerald green.

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "I've got my eyes on you, mister." She tickled his side and he squealed and ran for safety. Hermione laughed and picked Victoire up before heading to the massive table set up in the backyard of the reconstructed Burrow. "_And how have you been, sweetie?_" Hermione asked Victoire in French.

"_Good. I missed you._"

"_I missed you too_."

"_Are you coming back to Friday dinners?_"

Hermione kissed the little blonde's head. "_I'll try my absolute best, _okay_?_" She nodded.

"'ermione!" Fleur called in delight when the curly-haired witch reached the table. "_Oh, it's been so long._" She kissed each of Hermione's cheeks before taking Victoire from her arms and depositing her back on the ground. Victoire clung to her pregnant mother's skirt.

"_I know, I'm so sorry_," Hermione responded in her flawless French. She'd always been adept at it, since her family had taken many summers in France. Once Fleur found out, she made it her mission to perfect Hermione's French. The two almost always conversed in it. "_You look absolutely lovely. You're glowing_."

"_Oh, stop. I'm massive and pregnant._"

"And still beautiful," Bill interjected as he came up beside them. He pressed a kiss to Fleur's cheek. He could understand French after years married to Fleur, but he couldn't speak it. "'lo, Hermione."

"Hey, Bill. Good to see you."

"And you. Starting up Friday night dinners again?"

"I'm going to try," she repeated, knowing it was a fact she'll probably need to repeat many times.

"That's great, mum'll be happy. She's inside cooking with Padma."

"I'll go say hi." Hermione slipped away and headed into the Burrow through the backdoor that led into the kitchen. The wonderful smells of a Weasley feast were in the air. Hermione took in a deep breath and smiled. She missed Friday night dinners. She made a mental note to make a real effort not to miss any more of them.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley was bussing about, ordering Padma to cut vegetables and stir sauces. Padma glanced over and her eyes widened when she saw Hermione. "Hermione!"

Mrs. Weasley's head shot up like a dog. "What?" She spun around. "Oh! Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Weasley rushed forward and pulled Hermione into a tight hug that the younger witch accepted gratefully. Mrs. Weasley, no matter how overbearing she could be, always made her feel loved and accepted in her home. "I didn't know you were coming tonight."

"It was a surprise," Hermione said as she pulled back. Over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, she saw Padma mouth "save me." Hermione turned her attention back to the Weasley matriarch. "I hope you don't mind."

Mrs. Weasley cupped Hermione's face lovingly. "Oh, rubbish, dear. You know _you're_ always welcome in my home."

A little voice squealed and laughed and Hermione turned to see little Hugo, only a year old, sitting on the floor near the kitchen table and playing with his teddy. His blue eyes stuck out in stark contrast to his tanned skin and dark curls. He smiled at Hermione and raised his hands. "Oh, hello, baby." She went over and bent down to scoop the baby into her arms. He smiled and giggled as he stuffed the teddy's ear into his mouth. "You've gotten so big." She kissed his head tenderly before smiling at Padma. "And so has your _mum_."

"Oi," Padma retorted with a hand on her ample hip. She had filled out after having Hugo and developed curves around her hips and chest area that she hadn't had much of before. Though her stomach had gone back to its usual flatness after the pregnancy, it had blown up again now that she was pregnant once more.

"I can't believe you're expecting again." Hermione laughed and hugged her friend. "Congratulations?"

Padma scowled for a moment before nodding and smiling. "I'm happy. Ron's happy. We're all happy." A pot banged loudly behind her. "Most of us are happy," Padma whispered.

Hermione bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. "Let's go outside." Hermione hiked Hugo up higher on her hip and headed towards the back door. "Mrs. Weasley? I'm going to steal Padma for a bit, I haven't seen her in too long."

"Alright, dear. Be sure to say to Ron, he'll want to see you. You know he will."

Padma's eyes widened and she left the house. Hermione sent the matriarch a tense smile and nodded. "I will." No matter how many children Ron had, Hermione was sure Molly would still try and get him to marry her. She didn't know why Padma and Ron hadn't gotten married yet as it was. They certainly loved each other.

Hermione exited the house with Hugo on her hip and sat down at the table with Padma. "Sorry," Hermione apologized not unkindly.

Padma waved her hand. "I'm used to it. I know she likes me, she just wishes we'd gotten married first. It's the 21st century, whatever. It's not like Ron hadn't had sex before me." She gave Hermione a significant look.

Hermione blushed madly. "Sorry?"

Padma laughed loudly. "Don't be!" She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Are you kidding me? Hugo thanks Santa at Christmas and I thank Hermione Granger. My god, you taught that boy well."

Hermione tried to feel embarrassed. Eventually, she nodded and shrugged. "It was a fun project while it lasted." Padma snorted out a laugh at that. "So how are you feeling?"

"Good. Annoyed, a bit. We wanted to wait. But…" She shrugged. "How's work?"

"Alright. Just finished a massive project. It had me buried for weeks. I'm very happy it's over with. Stupid minister. I don't like this new bloke."

Padma shook her head. "Minister Shaklebolt never should have stepped down. I don't know why he did. Racksworth is just some sort of patsy politician. Minister Shaklebolt was actually getting things done! It's ridiculous." Hermione nodded in agreement. It had been sad news when Kingsley stepped down from the Ministry. His wife had grown ill and no one had been surprised when he eventually resigned his position. It didn't mean anyone was overly happy about it. "They've got some massive thing in the works right now, as well."

Hermione's brows rose at that. "Oh? What have you heard?"

The Indian witch shrugged. "Not much. I work in the Ministry but I'm not exactly high up. Something big though, I think. They've had all hands on deck for a few months now." Hermione didn't like the sound of that. What on earth had they had her doing for this project?

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Both witches turned and smiled when they saw the rest of the family heading towards them from the quidditch pitch including Harry and Angelina Johnson. Ron shook his head. "Who invited this one anyways?"

"Your mother, obviously." Hermione retorted with a smirk. "I'm her favourite child."

George laughed loudly at that. "Don't joke, Granger," he scolded as he came up behind her. "Hitting a little too close to home, there."

Hermione leaned back and looked up at him as she smiled widely. "Hello!"

George's answering smile down was massive and warm. "Hello," he greeted before stealing Hugo from her lap. The baby squealed with delight.

Hermione went around and finished off her greetings to everyone just in time. Everyone helped Mrs. Weasley bring the food from the kitchen to the table. The noise level grew as the children were placed and things moved about to make room. They were still in the process of figuring out where the potato mash had gone when an owl came.

"Is that the _Prophet_?" Percy questioned from one end of the table.

Mr. Weasley picked up the paper, nodding in confusion.

Ginny looked around at her family as she asked, "But they never do an evening addition, right?" Everyone nodded and shrugged.

"Well?" Mrs. Weasley asked from halfway down the table with Teddy and Victoire. "What does it say?"

Mr. Weasley unrolled the paper and looked at the headline. His eyes slowly widened. "It's… The Ministry has proclaimed a deficiency in numbers."

"What?"

"They're saying that the population of Magical Britain has gotten too low." His eyes scanned the article quickly. "They're instituting a Marriage Law."

Charlie looked down at the peas and frowned. "I bet that's gonna be about as much fun as it sounds."

Mr. Weasley scratched his head and continued reading. "They've assembled a list of witches and wizards that have one week to get married."

"What!?"

"One week!?"

"Alright!" Mrs. Weasley hollered over the protests. "Alright! Settle down, let's just hear what's going on before we start yelling." She turned back to Mr. Weasley. "Go on, Arthur, dear."

"Oh, uhm… It's alphabetical." Mr. Weasley flipped open to a page in the newspaper and his eyes scanned the names. "George Weasley and Angelina Johnson. Ronald Weasley and Padma Patil."

No one spoke.

George shrugged. "Well, I mean. We're engaged anyways. A week's a bit soon but we were planning on it." Angelina didn't look happy but she shrugged.

Mrs. Weasley looked to Ron and Padma, standing shocked on the other side of the table with Hugo between them. "Do you think it's because of the baby?"

Ron blushed madly and scratched his head, much like his father just had. Padma glared at him when he opened his mouth. "Don't you dare."

He eyed his pregnant wife before turning back to everyone. "Padma and I are engaged."

Mrs. Weasley gasped and place a her hand to her heart. "What? Since when?"

Ron shrugged. "Since before Hugo was born. We registered with the Ministry but when we found out about the baby we put it off." He glanced at Padma's pregnant belly. "And then it happened again."

Harry covered his mouth but he couldn't contain his snickering. Ron punched his arm. "Quit it, mate."

"But then what about Harry and Ginny?" Percy interjected.

Mr. Weasley instantly began looking for Harry and Ginny's names on the list. Harry's face paled and he looked down at the table where he stood. Mr. Weasley shook his head. "They're not here."

"Well, why not?"

"Harry didn't register," Ginny whispered.

Mrs. Weasley's head whipped around. "What?"

"Harry didn't register," Ginny repeated more loudly. She spun around on her almost-fiancé, eyes ablaze with fury. "You _still_ didn't register?"

"Gin…"

"Don't "Gin" me, Harry Potter. You were supposed to register the engagement. We've been engaged for eight weeks!"

"Ginerva," Mr. Weasley snapped, "enough of that. We don't even know what's going on. Let's all just remain calm. Shall we?" He turned back to the paper. "All the couples must be married within the week. Dates and times have been assigned for each couple. If there is a conflict or reason why the couple does not wish to be bound, they can only fight the match until the wedding hour. There is information for that here." He turned to the next page and took a deep breath. "All other citizens of Magical Britain must come together to help repopulate the dying race."

Hermione snorted. They weren't exactly pandas. They were doing fine.

"Couples on this list have been placed together by expert Arithmancers based on magical power, magical attraction, and personality." Hermione's eyes widened and her heart stopped. On no, she thought. She didn't… Had she? Had she made the matches? She turned and looked across the table to Harry who was staring at her with wide eyes. He didn't know much about her recent project, but he knew it involved matching things. Hermione shook her head, trying to say without words that no, she didn't know. She didn't _know_.

Harry looked back to Mr. Weasley as he continued paraphrasing from the paper. "The ones with the highest compatibility have been given the shortest engagement periods. Couples that need longer to get to know one another will be given it to better ensure lasting matches."

"This is absolute bullshit," Ginny protested.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"No, mum! They can't do this! Like we're toys or something? We have lives!"

"There's more," Mr. Weasley interjected quietly. Mrs. Weasley shot her daughter a fierce look before turning back to her husband and telling him to continue. "All couples, both on the first or second lists will be expected to have children by a certain time."

"What time?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Charlie gave her a slightly horrified look. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. This is the most ridiculous law I've ever heard of. It won't last. It'll be turned over in half a second." She shrugged, unconcerned. "If the time period for having children is great enough, we might not have to have any."

George nodded. "She's got a point."

Angelina smiled broadly and came up behind Hermione's seat. She hugged the younger witch around her shoulders. "Of course she does, she's Hermione. She's brilliant." Hermione smiled at Angelina in thanks.

"They are giving you five years after the date of the wedding to produce one magical child."

Hermione nodded. "That's fine. I don't think this thing will even last a year. Especially if they're matching old pureblood families with muggleborns. The Malfoys alone will have a fit."

Ginny laughed and sighed. "Oh, I'm starting to feel a lot better."

Mrs. Weasley had a pained look on her face. She was not so easily put at ease. "Find the children's names, Arthur."

Mr. Weasley nodded and then abruptly paused mid-nod. "The first match is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

Silence.

"Oh my god." Hermione blinked. Oh, she had said that. She looked across the table to Harry and Ginny. Neither spoke. Neither so much as moved. Hermione turned to Mr. Weasley. "When's the wedding?"

Mr. Weasley swallowed uneasily. "A month from now."

"_Oh my god_," she whispered. Angelina's arms tightened their hold. Hermione shook her head. She turned to look at Harry and Ginny again. Ginny was crying, silently. Her eyes had pooled over with the tears, though she made no indication that she noticed. The redhead very suddenly turned and fled. Harry finally looked up. His eyes met Hermione's and she couldn't speak. She mouthed, "I'm sorry," and then he was gone.

"Gin! Ginny!" he shouted after her. They disappeared into the house.

Hermione's head fell against the table. "Oh my god."

:::

Hermione had eaten pretty much nothing but ice-cream, chips, and mac and cheese since Friday. She refused to go to work when Monday finally rolled around. It was a Wednesday. Head Unspeakable Spratt had yet to come knocking but she knew it was inevitable.

She dipped her spoon back into the Ben and Jerry's as she stared at the headline of today's _Prophet_. It was pretty much the same as yesterday and the day before. Pictures of people getting married. Happy and not so happy couples alike. Mostly they were happy. All the couples getting married in the first week were already engaged. None had much to complain about besides timing and venues and a rushed party. Most were still making the most of it.

Which was good. Those people deserved to be happy. It was the articles _inside_ the prophet that was making her depressed.

_Harry Potter and Hermione Granger: Finally!_

_Harry and Future Hermione Potter: As it Should Be_

_Hermione and Harry Potter: Everyone's Ideal Couple_

It went on and on and on. The pages were filled with photos from when they were in school, Hogsmeade weekends, the Tri-Wizard Tournament, after the Battle of Hogwarts, their final year in school. There was a picture of them walking together down Diagon Alley that Hermione was almost positive had only been taken last week. It was a bloody nightmare.

Hermione wanted to crawl into a pit and die.

She'd read over the paper with the list of couples over and over again. Their numbers had popped into her head as she did. She searched the names and the matches, trying to find some sort of proof that she messed it up and none of these couples would work.

But it was no use. She had done a brilliant job. All the names, all the ones she recognized, were undeniably suited for one another. Even Ginny and — surprisingly — Blaise Zabini. It all worked. It all fit in some weird, twisted sort of way. It wasn't fair.

Hermione sat on her couch and glared at the copy of the _Prophet_ with her and Harry's names splayed across the inner cover in big, bold print. She glared at the newspaper as if it were those two parchments of paper. The perfect match.

_Those bastards_.

The floo activated and Luna jumped out, quite literally. Hermione looked up, eyes wide. It took a moment for her to register that the bright, smiling witch before her was in fact, Luna Lovegood, who she hadn't seen in a month. Hermione jumped to her feet.

"Luna!"

"Hello!"

Hermione desperately tried to fix her hair as she came around the coffee table. "How are you?" She gave the younger witch a big hug. "You look fantastic."

"Thank you!" She glanced at Hermione. "You look dreadful."

"I feel dreadful."

"Well, that's not good." She looked around the apartment and her lips fell into a little frown. "How about you go take a shower and I clean this place but a bit? Then we can go out for dinner!"

"Oh, I don't know, Luna. I'm not exactly…"

Luna raised her eyebrows. "I went by your work first. Unspeakable Spratt says if I don't get your arse back in gear he's going to send Unspeakable Wallace to do it." Hermione's nose wrinkled. Luna nodded. "I haven't met Unspeakable Wallace, but I take it you don't like him?"

Hermione groaned. "Fine."

"Great!" Luna quickly shooed Hermione to the bedroom before setting about cleaning the apartment.

:::

"You should wear this one," Luna decided as she held up a beautiful red cocktail dress.

Hermione raised her eyebrows where she sat at her vanity table. "You don't think that's a bit fancy?" She eyed Luna's dress. It was an odd mesh of colours and beads but everything Luna wore was a bit odd. Her stockings were striped and didn't match but her hair had been left down in long curls with a pretty flower crown placed on her head. Hermione almost wanted to say that Luna was dressed up for something. "Where are we going?"

"A very nice restaurant." She paused then shrugged. "Or so I'm told." Luna held the dress up again. "Harry always says you look pretty in red, I say you go with this one."

Hermione grimaced. She hadn't spoken to Harry since Friday, or Ginny, or anyone else really. She'd spoken to her cat. That was about it. "Sure, Luna. I'll wear that one." Hermione slipped into the fitted red dress. She'd bought it for a boyfriend ages ago who she'd actually ended up dumping before she got the chance to wear it. Hermione pulled on her sheer black stockings and black high heels as well. They worked well with the elegant off the shoulder dress and sweetheart neckline.

Luna handed her a gold necklace and the matching gold earrings. Hermione fitted them on and grabbed her black pashmina.

"How do I look?"

"Perfect!"

"Are you going to tell me why we're dressed up now?"

Luna's answering smile was far more devious than Hermione liked. Devious and Luna was never a good mix. "For dinner, which we're going to be late for so we'll apparate." She took Hermione's hand and suddenly the two were gone.

Hermione stumbled on the pavement. She shook her head as she tried to orient herself. They were in Diagon Alley in front of a beautiful restaurant. Luna stood on her tiptoes and waved her arm at someone. Hermione turned to see who she was waving at and her heart nearly stopped. It was Harry.

He was heading towards them at a brisk pace, his hair tousled from the wind. He was wearing a sleek three-piece suit and a black tie. Hermione absently noted that it was one of the suits she'd picked out with him a year ago. Harry caught sight of Luna and smiled and nodded. He sped up his pace. His eyes slid to the left and he spotted Hermione. She had to give him credit, he didn't even stumble. He also didn't smile.

"Harry!"

"Hey, angel." Luna pressed herself into Harry's chest and he hugged her tightly. "You look beautiful," he said after pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She leaned back and smiled brightly. "Thank you. Come on, Rolf will be waiting."

"Rolf?" Harry questioned, but Luna was already through the door. Harry glanced at Hermione. They didn't say anything as they followed Luna into the restaurant.

Luna was winding through the seats to a table for four in the centre. A tall, pale man with dark hair and bright eyes stood up from the table. Luna went up to his side and took his hand. Her smile as she looked up at him could only be described as loving. Hermione's brows rose. She glanced sidelong at Harry who was clearly trying not to scowl.

"Rolf, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Harry, Hermione, this is my husband Rolf."

Harry choked on his saliva. "I'm - I'm sorry, what?"

Hermione looked back and forth between the odd couple. He was tall, so incredibly tall and lanky as well. He had a sweet and kind disposition about him, if it was any consolation for the oddness of the situation. "Didn't you just get back from Norway?"

Luna nodded. "That's where we met."

Rolf raised a hand and wiggled his fingers in a friendly wave. "Hello!" He held his hand out and Hermione promptly shook it. He winced when Harry shook his hand and Hermione could only guess how strong Harry's grip had been. She knew just how overprotective he was of Luna.

"Good to meet you," Harry responded, though it sounded more threatening than kind. They each took their seats, Luna and Rolf on one side and Harry and Hermione on the other. Harry gestured between the two of them as he put his table napkin on his thigh. "So how'd this happen?"

"Well, we met in Norway, as Luna said." Luna nodded in agreement as she smiled lovingly at him. "We're both naturalists and we were looking for creatures so we decided to team up."

Luna turned her smile to Harry and Hermione. "It was a lot of fun. We found lots of new creatures. We almost packed up and headed off to another country but decided to come home after the engagement."

"Engagement?" Hermione questioned politely.

Rolf nodded. "We got engaged. We planned to get married after we told everyone, but then the law was passed." He and Luna shrugged. "Well, we simply got married." They smiled at each other.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Wow… that's… congratulations." Despite her misgivings, she couldn't help but smile at the look on Luna's face. "I'm very happy for the both of you," she added warmly.

Harry still hadn't said anything. Hermione touched his leg under the table to get him to speak. He moved his leg away. "We both are," Harry added with one of his easy, charming smiles. Hermione looked down at her plate and tried to hide how upset she was at his rebuff. Harry had never rebuffed her like that before. He had problems with a lot of people touching him and she knew he wasn't big on physical contact. But he had openly told her she was the only person who he never minded touching him. Clearly, things had changed.

Hermione threw a fake smile across her face and looked up. "So, tell us about Norway and all these wonderful creatures you discovered."

It turned out, Rolf was related to Newt Scamander. His grandson, in fact. Rolf told amazing stories about Newt and his adventures, as well as some of his own as he travelled the world. He was very well travelled. He and Luna were already making plans for their next trip.

Dinner was pleasant, mostly due to the fact that Harry and Hermione were not required to talk to one another. And they didn't. At all. It was actually quite the feat, considering they were practically on a double date. But Harry and Hermione were nothing if not master avoiders of the important. They navigated the dinner conversation like pros, constantly keeping it on the newly wedded couple and away from themselves.

"Thank you," Luna whispered as she hugged Hermione close outside the restaurant at the end of the night.

Hermione smiled and squeezed her affectionately. "I'm so happy for you."

Luna turned her head so no one else could hear and whispered, "Now make sure you talk to him. You two need to sort this out."

Hermione sighed. She nodded.

Luna pulled back and smiled widely. She turned to Harry to give her goodbyes as Rolf came up and offered Hermione a hug. "Be good to her," she instructed him. "She's very special to us."

Rolf smiled. "Yeah, I got that from the numerous subtle threats Harry's given me throughout the night."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, and if you're a very good boy, you might be able to get that down to one threat a dinner by Christmas."

Rolf raised his eyebrows. "Of this year?"

Hermione laughed. "You're funny, Rolf. You're very funny."

Luna and Rolf waved their goodbyes before they turned and disapparated away.

Hermione and Harry stood where they were for a long moment, neither say a word. Harry turned to leave. "Harry, wait." He paused. He didn't turn around. "We need to talk."

After a moment, Harry turned and raised his eyebrows. "So talk."

Hermione looked around. "Not here." She took his hand and apparated them to a designated apparition point in muggle London. She guided him to a nearby park and they sat down at one of the benches. Harry raised his eyebrows at her. "Sorry, I just don't want to give the press any more ammunition."

"Well, you probably should have thought of that before all this happened," he snapped.

"What? You think this is my idea?"

"You made the matches."

"I didn't know I was making the matches!" She grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it desperately. "I swear to you Harry, I had no idea. I've been asked by departments in the Ministry to do work like that before. Hell, I've asked trainees to do work like that before. With potions, and spells, and creatures, and wand wood types. My god, the list goes on. Harry, I'm telling you, I had no idea."

"But you should have!" he exploded. "You're Hermione! You're supposed to see this before it happens."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "That's not fair. You can't hold me accountable for something just because you don't like it. This isn't my fault and you know it." She stared at him as her eyes misted over.

Harry's jaw clenched. "Can't you at least fight it? You messed up the Arithmancy and got all the matches buggered. You need to fix this."

"Fix what?"

He shot her an annoyed look. "The ending to _Die Hard_, what the fuck do you think, Hermione? This! All of it. You put these matches together but clearly they're wrong."

Hermione slowly shook her head. "Harry… they're not wrong."

"Yes, they are. Because - because I'm engaged to Ginny. And I… I chose her. I didn't choose you."

She grimaced. "I know. Harry, I know. I'm so sorry. But I can't change this. I've looked at the matches and they're right. They work." She shrugged helplessly. "If there was something I could do, I would. But there isn't… we just… We have to wait it out."

Harry looked at her, finally, properly looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm still pretty sure this law will get overturned. Right now, it's just people getting married who were already engaged. But soon… starting with us, it's going to be a lot of people who don't want to be together. And there is going to be a lot of backlash."

"You think we won't even have to get married?" he asked, hopefully.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I doubt that, though. We're less than a month away and this will take a little bit longer than that. We should go with it, just… do what we're told for now. We don't know what sort of consequences there are for not following the rules and as the first couple — and quite famous — they'll certainly make an example out of us if we step out of line."

Harry's brow furrowed. "So, you just want to do what they say? Go along with it? Get married?" He gestured aggressively, nearly getting worked up all over again.

"It won't be forever," she placated. "And then when this is all over, you can go marry Ginny and be happy." She took his hand again. "It'll be like none of this ever happened."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	3. iii

First off, I'd just like to say I'm glad so many people have favourited and followed! It means a lot that you're enjoying the story!

I did want to touch upon a few things people have reviewed about as well. Hermione is in no way after fame. She is famous herself and in her own right. She didn't sleep with Krum or anyone else for fame - her and Harry's comments were _jokes._ Hermione may be more in touch with her sexuality in this story, but that's about the only real difference you'll see in her.

She hasn't been sleeping with Harry because Harry was with Ginny. And a few people have questioned why Harry is so upset about not getting to marry Ginny/why doesn't he just go register the marriage and marry Ginny if he's so upset. Harry _doesn't_ want to marry Ginny. That's why he didn't register the engagement twice. And he can't register now, he's already engaged to Hermione (thanks Ministry!). Harry's emotions are about as complicated in the first few chapters here as they were in the novels. These emotions and situations will be explained eventually, starting in this chapter.

I do hope this clears some things up for all of you. And again, I'm glad everyone is enjoying this!

* * *

.iii.

It turned out, as ever, Hermione Granger was right. There were consequences to not following the Ministry's new rules and the Wizarding World figured this out within the first week of the new law.

"And how does that feel?" Harry asked Sandy, the little girl who had come into St. Mungos a week prior with a magical illness.

"Okay," she replied quietly.

Harry waved his wand and scanned her lungs and magical core. "Well, things certainly seem to be getting better." He tapped her nose. "Told you it was nothing to worry about." Sandy smiled. "I think you might even be allowed into the playroom today."

"Really?"

Harry nodded. "But you've got to take all your potions and eat all your lunch today." Sandy nodded enthusiastically. "Brill, I'll let the nurses know and I'll come to check on you after lunch to see if you're well enough."

"Thank you, Healer Potter."

Harry smiled and nodded as he finished writing on her chart. He hung the chart to the end of her bed and exited the private room.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter."

Harry froze just outside of Sandy's room. Leaning against the opposite wall was a man of average height and a heavier build. He had a bulbous nose and permanently flushed complexion as if he'd had too much to drink. Harry's eyes narrowed. "Minister Racksworth… good to see you, and it's _Healer_ Potter."

The minister sniffed loudly. "Yes, of course." He and Harry tensely shook hands. It was no secret how angry Harry had been when Kingsley had stepped down to Racksworth. No one liked the new minister, especially in light of the new law. "Do you have a minute?"

"I'm fairly busy here…"

"It'll only take a minute."

Harry paused. "Of course." He raised his hand to lead the minister to his office. Minister Racksworth looked around the quaint office and sniffed loudly again. Harry rolled his eyes and sat down behind his desk. "What can I do for you?"

The minister made a face as he continued to look around. Finally, his gaze settled on Harry. He raised an eyebrow. "Have you seen the _Prophet_, _Healer_ Potter?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Can't say that I have. Bit busy saving lives."

"Yes," Racksworth drawled, "those poor children and their colds. However, will they get by?"

Harry leaned forward over his desk. "Did you have a reason for coming here today or did you just want to see how far you could push me before I hexed you so badly they wouldn't be able to tell where your pot belly starts and ends?"

Minister Racksworth's eyes widened and he sat up straight. His cheeks blazed an even brighter red. From within his breast pocket, he produced a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and tossed it onto Harry's desk. "Perhaps you ought to keep yourself up on current events before you go throwing about threats, _Mr. Potter_."

Harry angrily snatched the paper up and unfolded it. His eyes widened behind his coke-bottle glasses. _Fuck_. He looked to the smug minister. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday," the older wizard informed with perverse delight. "Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnegan attempted to run away together. It is quite the scandal, really. Two _men_ of all things." Harry glared at the minister. Dean and Seamus had been together for years. The only reason they weren't married was because the Wizarding World hadn't opened up their views to same-sex marriages.

"Well, what did you expect?" Harry questioned with vitriol. "Obviously they don't want to marry a couple of girls, a bit too conventional." The minister made a face of disgust and Harry smiled viciously. "What's wrong, minister? It's the 21st century, maybe you ought to open your eyes up a bit."

The minister glared at Harry. "Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnegan are more than welcome to marry whomever they wish… now that they are no longer a part of the Wizarding World." Harry's jaw clenched. "Their wands have been taken and they are not allowed contact with any magical community for the duration of their… refusal to comply with the new law."

"What does this have to do with me?"

The minister's smile made Harry's stomach churn. "The magical community is looking to you and Hermione in this time of change. I want to be sure you won't pull a similar stunt."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he smirked. "That's a good idea, minister. I'd like to see the outrage the magical community would have if you tried to excommunicate me."

Racksworth closed his eyes and shook his head, making his big cheeks shake with the force. "Oh, no. Never, Mr. Potter. I wouldn't dare." He paused and a smirk slithered across his face. "Miss. _Granger_ on the other hand?" Harry's entire body tensed. "She's famous, yes. But also famous for breaking your heart and cheating on you when you were children. Not to mention breaking the heart of Mr. Weasley and then running out on Oliver Wood after he proposed." The minister let out a heavy breath and shook his head. "There are probably as many citizens that despise Miss. Granger as there is that love her. Possibly more."

Harry's magic swelled within him. His hands squeezed into fists to keep the anger down. "What do you want?"

Racksworth leaned forward, his yellow teeth bared in a terrifying smile. "Marry Miss. Granger."

"I was planning on it."

"But not just that. Love her, woo the girl before the cameras. Take her to weddings and hold her hand. Kiss her and make her blush like a pretty little schoolgirl." His smile as he said this was patronizing at best. Harry was so furious he couldn't speak. "Don't just follow the law, have a proper wedding and play nice." The minister's eyes darkened. "Or Miss. Granger will never see the inside of a magical community again."

:::

"Hermione!" Harry shouted as he marched through her floo. "Hermione!" There was a crash from the bedroom and Harry moved through the apartment towards it, a man on a mission. He burst through the door to find Hermione dragging herself up from the floor.

"What the hell, Harry?" She was dressed in a shirt and knickers, her hair a mess. Clearly, she'd been asleep. She glared at him. "Someone had better be dead."

"We are."

She blinked, her brows coming together in confusion. "What?"

"We are," he repeated. "We're the dead ones."

Hermione glared at him. "Explain."

"Have you read the _Prophet_ yet?"

Hermione groaned and rubbed her eyes. "No," she pouted as she crawled back into bed. "I got in at six am, Harry." She threw the heavy duvet over her body and rolled onto her stomach. "Let me sleep. I'll die later."

Harry flicked his wrist and the duvet disappeared. He stormed back out of her room. Hermione laid in bed and glared at the door. "He is so dead," she whispered to herself. She exited her room five minutes later, having donned a pair of trousers and thrown her hair up in a bun. "There had better bloody well be coffee," she grouched.

Harry set her biggest mug on the kitchen island. Hermione sat down and took a long drink as she glared at him over the rim. Next, he handed her the paper. She read the front page headliner and her eyes widened. "Oh my god." She flicked it open and her eyes scanned the article. Hermione glanced at Harry. "Are they okay?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. After I found out, I came directly here."

"Why?"

Harry eyed Hermione as he said, "The minister delivered my paper this morning." Hermione's eyes widened again. She slowly set the paper down as she gave him her full attention. "The paper came with a few stipulations."

"What sort of stipulations?"

He nodded to the pictures of Dean and Seamus on the cover. "They don't want this to happen again, especially not with me or yourself involved."

Hermione shrugged. "We weren't planning on it."

"Yeah, and I told him that. But apparently, that's not good enough."

Dread settled in Hermione's stomach. "What does he want?"

Harry made a face as he ran his hand through his hair. "Essentially? A picture-perfect marriage. He wants us to fool the world and make them think we're happy about this all."

"That's ridiculous, of course, we're not."

He shook his head. "But they don't know that. If we simply went along with it to the letter, as we planned, it'd be obvious. The minister wants us to fake it."

Hermione scowled. "If he wants someone to fake it he should stop sleeping with his mistress and go back to his wife." Harry rolled his eyes. "They can't touch us, not if we follow the rules."

Harry gave her a look. "Of course they can, 'Mione. They're the Ministry. They can do whatever they want."

"But… but you're Harry Potter. They can't… they would never…" Her eyes widened. "It's me, isn't it?" Hermione gasped softly. "It's me. I'm the one that did this. I matched everyone together."

"But you didn't know that's what you were doing," Harry protested, wondering why that mattered at the moment.

"You think that will matter to anyone else? If this law fails the Ministry will pin me for it and I'll be out. The Wizarding World will hate me."

Harry shook his head. "No, that won't happen. I'll say you didn't know."

Hermione shrugged. "They won't print the statement. They'll get off scot-free. I'm the patsy. And if the law does continue through and I don't fall into line they kick me out." She blinked as she stared off into the middle distance. "Either way, I'm… I'm fucked."

Harry leaned forward, his jaw set. "No. Hermione, we will do what they say and we'll make this work."

"It's more than that," she pressed. "Even if we do what they say and then the law blows up, I'm done for."

"Then we won't let it."

"What?"

"The law, we'll make sure it keeps going. The minister seems sure that it'll pull through if we set a good example. Wedding, smiles, dates, kids."

Hermione reeled back. "Harry! Do you even hear yourself? You don't want that."

"I want you, Hermione," he exclaimed suddenly, the stress of the situation making his throat tighten and his hands shake. "I don't want you to disappear from my life. I can't…" He took her hand and held it where it rested on the kitchen island. "I wouldn't be able to handle it."

Hermione blew out a short breath shakily. "This isn't just about me. What about you? What about Ginny? I promised—"

"Fuck the promise. I don't give a shit. This is more important."

"You _love_ Ginny."

"I love you too."

"It's not the same." He didn't say anything. "What about everyone else? There are thousands of people — hundreds of thousands of people — that are being thrown into this law. Are their lives better off for my selfishness? Being forced to have children and no way to support them and—"

"So we fix it."

Hermione paused. She stared at Harry's determined face and swallowed. "What?"

"We fix it." He pressed a finger down on the countertop to emphasize his point. "We can't get rid of the law but maybe we can make it better. We can use my inheritance through Sirius to provide money for couples that have more than the required one child within the five years. People who can't afford to have a child can apply and be compensated so they can actually take care of it."

"Harry…"

"That would work, wouldn't it?"

"I mean… it'd probably help. But the matches…"

"Are good matches, Hermione. You did a good job with them. Arranged marriages happen all the time. These people know now that the Ministry means business and if they feel it's still worth the risk to run away then that's their decision. We can help them make staying in the magical world a better one."

Hermione sighed. "I feel terrible. This is my fault."

"It's not."

"But if I just took the blame—"

"The law would still go on. Nothing would change." Hermione looked down. She didn't say anything. "Hermione?" He came around the island and touched her cheek, bringing her face up so he could look into her eyes. "We're in this together, Hermione. I'm not letting you get kicked out. I'm not risking anything." He stared into her brown eyes intensely as he said, "You're too important to me."

Hermione let out a long breath. She nodded. "Okay. What do they want?"

Harry studied her for a long moment. He needed to make sure she was really on board with this. The last thing he needed was for her to go AWOL. "A wedding," he finally revealed, "a proper one. Family attendance is mandatory which will complicate things because only your grandparents know about your magic."

Hermione waved her hand. "We'll deal with that later, anything else?"

"Hand holding and dates." He shrugged. "Nothing we can't manage."

Hermione nodded. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. The massive shift this would undoubtedly cause in her life hadn't hit yet. Hermione hoped she'd be ready when it finally did. They had to cover the bases, make sure everything was covered and taken care of. She licked her lips and looked up at him. "You might want to talk to Ginny."

Harry winced. "Yeah, yeah that's a good idea." He took his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. "She'd probably flip if she saw photos of us on an _actual_ date. Christ."

"How's she handling it all?"

He shook his head and put his glasses back on. "She's been staying with her parents. She's pretty furious with me still… not that I blame her."

Hermione leaned forward to rest her chin in her hand. She had no clue why Harry hadn't registered the engagement. She wanted to ask, but knew it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. "Has she talked to Blaise?" The two were pretty well matched, number four on the second list. Hermione remembered their subject numbers even. They'd matched in the 90th percentile. Harry and Ginny had not.

Hermione looked down as the statistic popped into her head. She felt like she was betraying Harry in knowing that.

Harry's jaw clenched. "I don't know. Merlin, I hope not. I'll talk to her tonight. We need to sort this shit out before tomorrow."

Hermione nodded. "The wedding."

"Yeah."

"I guess you'll be my date, then?"

Harry attempted a smile. "Guess so."

She smiled back sadly and touched his hand. "Go talk to Ginny. I'll be here, I have the day off since I practically pulled a second shift last night."

"Right, sounds good." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back sometime tonight."

"Brilliant, we can coordinate outfits for the wedding."

Harry snorted in amusement despite himself. "Sure." He knew Hermione would do just that regardless of his presence.

:::

Ginny wasn't at the Burrow anymore. Molly had directed him back home and it was in their modern, little flat that he found his girlfriend bustling about. She was in a good mood, he instantly noted. Ginny always looked perfectly in her element surrounded by the clean white walls and sleek furniture she'd styled their apartment with. The walls held only one or two photos, mostly of Ginny's family. Harry had a photo of his parents on his end of the bed in their room.

Harry stood awkwardly by the floo to their home, feeling very out of place in its clean and crisp glory. Ginny ignored him as she flicked her wand and sent a pile of magazines into their proper place. She raised an eyebrow at him over her shoulder. "Would it kill you to clean up every once in awhile?"

"Those aren't mine, Gin." She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. Harry sighed. So maybe she wasn't in a _good_ mood, but better at the very least. "You came back."

The redhead turned fully and crossed her arms defensively. "Well, it is my home." She sniffed. "And I've been thinking about things." Ginny sent him a small smile and shook her head. "Everyone is right. This law won't last. It's complete hogwash and it won't hold up. You'll make certain of that. Besides," she continued as she turned to put away a blanket thrown over the couch, "it works out better this way. I mean, I certainly don't want kids running about the place any time soon. So we've got more time!" she exclaimed with a happy smile.

Harry tried and failed not to frown. "Teddy's here every weekend."

Ginny gave an odd half smile and rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."

The irritation immediately bubbled up within Harry and he snapped without thinking. "Yeah, kids you'll actually give a damn about."

She narrowed her eyes at him and huffed dramatically. "Can we _not_ start on that? Merlin, Harry, he's not my kid. He's not even yours! I see him, I say hi. I babysit when you can't take care of him."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You mean you take him to your mum's when I get called into work because of a patient."

Ginny groaned and looked heavenward. "What's so wrong with that? He loves mum! And besides, you shouldn't be spending every moment with him. What's he going to think when we have kids? You're just setting him up for disappointment."

Harry's jaw dropped. "Excuse me? He's my godson!"

"Exactly! He's not your _actual_ son and making him think he's your top priority now will only break his heart when he realizes it's not the truth later."

Harry visibly shook. His hands were balled into fists at his side. "Teddy is and always will be one of my top priorities," he explained in a slow voice. "I think the real issue here, is that you don't like the that fact."

Ginny narrowed her eyes on him. "Were you at Hermione's?"

"Excuse me?"

"You always get like this when you've seen her."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Like what?"

Her eyes roved over him as if searching for something. Her mouth pinched. "It doesn't matter," she said suddenly with a shake of her head. She turned to leave.

"No, no, no." Harry raised his hand and took a few steps forward, effectively blocking Ginny from leaving. "I think this is a fairly good topic to pause on for a moment. How do I get when I've seen Hermione?"

Ginny sighed and glared balefully at him. "Moody and snippy. And then you get all lost in that head of yours and I'm left—"

"Without my constant attention?" Harry snapped.

"That's not what I said!" Ginny stomped her foot.

"But it's what you meant. Bit like your resentment for Teddy too, isn't it?" Ginny's eyes burned hot and she turned to storm out of the room. Harry chased after her. "Don't you walk away from me, Ginerva. We are having a discussion. I want to talk about this."

Ginny spun around, halfway down the hallway, and Harry pulled back to stop from running her over. "I don't give a shit what you want. You obviously don't give a shit what I want!"

Harry physically reeled back. "I don't… Literally everything I do is for you!" he shouted. "I wanted to buy a house with a yard for Teddy to play in and we got this white and glass monstrosity — for you. I wanted to wait to get engaged but we didn't — for you."

"Oh," Ginny cut in with an ugly sneer on her face, "don't say it like you're doing me any favours. I asked one thing of you Harry — one thing!"

Harry paused. His brow furrowed. "To spend more time with you?"

Ginny nearly screamed in frustration. "To focus on _us_. It's like pulling teeth, honestly! If it's not work, or Teddy, it's _Hermione_! I don't want to be my husband's fourth thought."

Harry eyed her for a long moment. Ginny was breathing heavily. Her blue eyes widened a little. She thought maybe she'd finally gotten through to him when Harry accused, "That's why you didn't tell me, isn't it?"

Ginny's brows drew together. "About what?"

Harry stepped closer, his body visibly tense. "About Hermione spending Saturday's at the Burrow. Because I know you didn't tell me. You _deliberately_ didn't tell me, didn't you?"

Ginny swallowed.

"What the _fuck_, Ginny?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't act so surprised. You two needed distance."

"_That wasn't for you to decide!_" Harry roared.

"I am your future wife!"

"No. You're not," Harry grit out, his voice deadly calm. His entire body vibrated with barely repressed magic. "The wedding's off. Ours. Hermione and I aren't finding a way out of it."

Ginny's breath stilled. "_What_…?" She looked like he'd slapped her and Harry felt sickeningly like he might as well have. He hadn't meant to say it like that. She deserved better than that, they both did.

Harry swallowed and his tension released, if only minutely. "They're threatening to throw Hermione out of the magical world if we don't comply with their plans. If things fall through, they're going to pin it all on her."

Ginny shook her head. Her brows furrowed. "How would they even be able to do that?"

"They had her make the matches," Harry explained. Ginny tensed, but Harry didn't notice. "She had no idea. They set it up so it was entirely anonymous. But that won't matter. If we don't make this work, Hermione's going to be completely ostracized."

Ginny was breathing heavily. She watched Harry closely. "So?"

"Excuse me?"

She shrugged. "Hermione is a big girl, she can take care of herself. Your responsibilities are to your family."

"Hermione is my family," Harry stressed. Hermione was one of the most important people in the world to him, Ginny knew that — had practically said it herself just now. "How could you even suggest otherwise?" The anger had left his voice entirely, he sounded tired and world-weary. He felt it too.

Ginny's eyes teared prettily and Harry's heart constricted. He hated it when she cried. Ginny wasn't the type of witch to break down about things, not in front of others at least. She did it for him, though. She loved him and trusted him, he knew and that fact made the tears all the more painful. "Then what am I? Don't I matter at all?"

Harry sighed and touched her cheek gently. The action often appeased her. "Of course you do, Ginny." How he wished he could stop her before she truly started to cry.

She stepped close and her lashes fluttered as she looked up at him with big, sad eyes. "I thought you loved me?"

"I do."

Ginny's lips brushed gently against his. Harry's eyes fell shut. He breathed in the scent of her, revelled in the feel of her silky hair beneath his fingers. It'd been a long time since they'd been intimate. Both got so caught up in work sometimes that they simply forgot about each other. Harry was almost always starved of affection by the time they were intimate again. He could feel himself crumbling beneath her soft fingers.

"Harry," she breathed against his lips.

He kissed her. Ginny's arms immediately snaked around his neck. She pressed herself against his body and felt Harry melt against her. She stepped back and Harry stumbled forward, slowly following her as she guided them further down the hall and towards the bedroom.

Harry's fingers threaded through her hair. His arm wrapped around her thin waist. It felt so good to simply touch and be touched in return. He missed this. He wished they could have more of it. He craved the way she would hold him close. No one had ever held him like that but Ginny.

Ginny eased down onto the bed and Harry knelt between her legs. She pushed his head back as she deepened the kiss. She finally broke away with a soft sob. Harry kissed her cheek, her jaw, her neck. "Harry," she whispered, he pulled back fractionally, "please don't go."

"Ginny," he sighed.

She pressed a long, hard kiss against his lips. A single, perfect tear fell down her cheek when she pulled back. "I love you. Don't you love me too?" Her fingers woven through his hair and Harry's entire body sighed at the contact.

"Of course I do."

Her lips brushed his. "Then stay," she enticed. Her eyes were filled with tears but only the one had fallen. Ginny had always been such a beautiful crier. Her fingers stroked his cheek. "Don't leave me. You promised you'd never leave me again." She gazed into his eyes as she asked, "Are you really willing to break another promise to someone?"

Harry's heart clenched painfully as he thought of all the people he'd failed to save during the war. The faces of the lost warriors of the Second Wizarding War flitted through his mind with painful guilt. The pain was visible on his face and Ginny gently kissed it away. His fingers tightened their hold on her desperately.

"Make love to me, Harry," her voice was breathy. Her tears making her eyes sparkle.

"I want to," he breathed against her lips. He slowly shook his head. "But I can't." Ginny froze. "It wouldn't be fair."

Her fingers tightened in his hair. "Not _fair_?" All signs of sadness had vanished. Her eyes had gone as dry as the Sahara Desert. "Not fair to who?"

"You," he responded softly. "Me. Hermione." Ginny pushed him away. Harry hollered as he fell back on his arse. "Ginny!"

"Not fair to _Hermione_?" Ginny seethed. "_Hermione_! What about me?"

"Ginny," Harry sighed.

"Get out!" she yelled as she jumped to her feet. Harry stood, his hands raised placatingly. "Get the hell out of my house!"

"Ginny…"

"I hope she's bloody worth it," she yelled at in his face. "I hope she's everything you want." She crossed her arms. "Oh, wait. We already know she is." Harry sighed, his shoulders slumped. He didn't say anything to refute her claim. Ginny choked back a sob and shook her head. "You couldn't have lied? Just one more time… for me?" He reached out to her and Ginny stepped away. She turned her back on him, not wanting him to see her truly cry. "I'm going to my parents tonight. I want you gone by the morning."

Ginny walked away. Harry didn't go after her.

:::

Hermione went back to sleep after Harry left. When she awoke again, well after noon, she ate and then spent her day cleaning and doing chores. She expected Harry back sometime before dinner and so she ordered Indian food, which she knew Ginny hated and he secretly loved. It'd be a nice treat after what she was sure would be a dreadful conversation.

The hours whiled away and she eventually had to give up on him and ate her dinner as she watched the tele. The leftovers were in the icebox and she was curled under her favourite throw while _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ played on the tele.

The floo flared as Harry tumbled through. He fell back on his arse and cursed angrily. Hermione raised her eyebrows as she paused the film. "Hey, stranger."

Harry grunted in response. He picked himself up and dusted off his robes. His eyes flickered to the light fixture on the ceiling and it blinked on.

Hermione eyed him warily. She could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. The air practically crackled with magic. "What happened?"

Harry looked at her and sighed heavily. And just like that, the tension fell away. He stepped over the coffee table per usual and fell onto the plush couch beside her. "And I thought the last fight was Hiroshima." He shook his head before turning his head towards her. "Ginny was less than receptive to the minister's interference."

Hermione snorted. "Who isn't?"

"Yeah, well… you should probably stay away from her for a bit."

Hermione's brows rose. "I'm sorry?"

He scratched behind his ear awkwardly. "You know Gin's got a temper. She's blaming you a bit for what happened. Not that it's your fault!" he rushed to add.

"Good, 'cause it's not," Hermione snapped. She scowled at him. "She told you to let them kick me out, didn't she?"

Harry sighed. "She's upset."

"I'm her best friend," Hermione argued. She paused and shook her head. "Or I was — once." She turned and crossed her arms as she slouched back against the couch with him. "And what else? Did you get off like the Americans in this attack on the innocent?"

Harry glared at her. "No, I got kicked out of the country." Hermione's brows drew together in confusion. "She kicked me out of the apartment. Doesn't want anything to do with me." He sighed.

Hermione's expression grew pinched. She glanced sidelong at Harry. His anger had clearly turned to a sad resignation. He was going to go brooding on her soon, she knew it. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Harry shook his head and sighed. "But it had to end. Even before I went there we knew that. If…" He turned to look at her. "If we want our plan to work then it had to happen." Hermione reached across the couch to take Harry's hand but Harry stood to avoid the contact. Hermione tried to ignore the pang in her heart when he did that.

He went into the kitchen. Hermione turned on the couch so she could watch him putter about the kitchen. "Nice, Indian." He took the containers out and set about fixing himself a plate.

"Harry?"

He waved his hand over the food and it warmed under his wordless and wandless warming spell. Once the rest was back in the icebox, he stood by the counter and said, "I'm not angry with you. I'm just…" He shook his head. "It's over and it's…"

"Sad," Hermione finished for him. Harry didn't say anything. He continued to eat his dinner. Hermione got up from the couch and stood across the island from him. "I know how much you two love each other, Harry. We don't have to do this."

"Yes," Harry said, as he made eye contact with her, "we do." Harry looked down at his plate and stabbed a piece of butter chicken with his fork petulantly. "Besides… it's not like it was exactly going to happen between Gin and I."

"Harry…"

He looked up at her again. "I'm not an idiot, Hermione. Ginny and I have been off for ages. We're just stuck, and I think we got stuck together a bit too."

Hermione frowned and looked away. She didn't know what to say to that, but it was something she'd often thought herself as well. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. None of this has anything to do with you." He leaned forward and forced her to meet his eye. "My and Ginny's relationship ending isn't because of you and I don't want you to think it is. I… I didn't want to marry…"

"I know."

Harry opened his mouth, he paused and sighed. "Of course you know."

She leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand. Her brows furrowed. "You said you didn't propose. You two… decided it would be a good move?"

He rolled his eyes. "You mean Ginny thought it would be a good move." Hermione shrugged one shoulder up. It was pretty much what she'd meant. "We could have worked it out though. We just needed time — I needed time." Harry shook his head. "And now it's over."

Hermione came around the island and wrapped her arms around Harry's waist. She rested her head against his back. They stayed like that for a long moment. When she felt like his brooding had lasted long enough, Hermione poorly joked, "Have you been working out? Are these abs I feel?" Harry's shoulders shook with silent laughter at her terrible attempt to lighten the mood. She pulled back and Harry looked over his shoulder at her, a small grin on his face. "Very impressive, Mr. Potter." He smiled as he shook his head at her. Hermione gestured to his plate. "All done?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem, I got it mostly for you anyways." She cleared his plate away and waved her hand so the tea would pour itself. "Movie?" she asked him over her shoulder as she washed the dish. "I'm in the middle of _Breakfast at Tiffany's_."

Harry smiled. "I love that one."

"I know."

He shook his head. "I need to go grab a room at the Leaky."

Hermione turned off the faucet and grabbed a tea towel to dry her hands. She turned and leaned back against the sink, a crease formed between her brows. "You can stay here."

"I don't want to put you out."

She rolled her eyes. "Harry, you stay here all the time."

"This isn't for a few days, 'Mione."

"Yeah, well," she shrugged, "we're getting married in a month." She froze. Her eyes widened. "Wow, that sounds weird."

"You're tellin' me," he quipped.

Hermione smiled fondly. "It just doesn't make sense. You'll have to move in eventually."

Harry shook his head at her. "And here I thought you were going to remain virtuous until marriage. You're gonna break Mrs. Weasley's heart." Hermione threw the towel at Harry's head.

* * *

Fluffy reviews make my world go round :)


	4. iv

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews last chapter! I'm so happy you're enjoying it. Hopefully, there's some more sympathy towards Harry now that he's getting his shit together.

Special shout out to FamiliyMagician who left my favourite review so far. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

.iv.

George and Angelina's wedding was being held at the Burrow. It was bright and early on a sunny Saturday. The ceremony would take place under a hoopa covered in cherry blossoms which also littered the aisle that Angelina would walk down. Mrs. Weasley had started cooking for the wedding two days prior. She'd hardly slept at all, desperately trying to make the event something that the happy couple would love and remember despite the circumstances.

Originally, Harry had planned to go in advance with Ginny. Obviously, that was no longer the plan. Harry would arrive with Hermione — still earlier than the other guests — but at a later time than originally.

"Are you sure this one will work?" Harry asked as he tied his tie in Hermione's full-length mirror.

"The suit is fine, Harry," Hermione replied for the tenth time from the connected bathroom.

"But you always like it when I wear my three-piece suit."

"That's true, but it's summer and it's hot and a three-piece black suit is the last thing you want to wear. Trust me. Plus, the lighter colour looks better with my dress." She stepped out of the bathroom, still putting in her mother's opal earrings as she did. She gestured to him after she put one in. "See, you look fine. Stop being such a child about it."

He turned, a retort on the tip of his tongue until he saw her. His eyes widened. Hermione was in a beautiful yellow halter dress. It was fitted down to her hips where it flared out to around her knees. "You look stunning."

Hermione smiled as she put her other earring in. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

He raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, well, I've been told I clean up well."

Hermione shrugged and headed towards him. Her nude heels clicked on the wood floorboards. "I am always right."

"Yes," Harry replied warmly, "you are." Hermione fixed his tie. It was charmed to be the same colour as her dress. It was matched with a cream coloured suit and brown dress shoes. Harry pushed a curl back into her up-do as he looked closer at her earrings. "Your mother's, right?" She nodded. "They look lovely."

"Thank you."

"Have you got a necklace?"

She shook her head. "Not a matching one." She looked down at the dip of her dress. "Do you think I need one?"

"Nah, you're perfect." Hermione smiled. "Ready?" She nodded and he took her hand before apparating them to the Burrow. They appeared up the hill along the road, just outside the wards. Harry kept hold of her hand as they made their way towards the tall, crooked home. "Do you think the press will be here?"

"Probably. I mean, George is the sole owner of Weasley Wizard Wheezes and Merlin knows that thing has blown up across the wizarding world. People are going to want to see at least something of the wedding." Hermione picked a piece of lint off her skirt.

Harry made a face. "Yeah, and we know Mrs. Weasley would never say no." Hermione raised her eyebrows and said nothing. "Great, our first couple outing." He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. "Got your game face on?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. People have been thinking we're dating for years. Just hold my hand and don't go off snogging another girl. I think we'll be fine." Harry couldn't argue with that.

They reached the Burrow and went around to the back where the ceremony and party would both take place. Both smiled when they saw the cherry blossoms. White chairs were set up with pink sashes on each in rows before the hoopa. Closer to the house was the massive assortment of tables pulled together like at a classic Weasley Friday night dinner. The tables had been covered with white cloth and various glass bowls filled with water and floating cherry blossoms acted as centrepieces. Mrs. Weasley had done a fantastic job.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy hollered as he came running towards them at full pelt.

Harry's face lit up. He bent and caught the little bullet and swung him up onto his hip. "Hey there, kid. Don't you look nice." Teddy pouted and crossed his arms. He hated bowties, a fact Harry knew very well.

"I look silly."

Hermione pulled him down a bit so she could kiss his cheek. "I think you look very handsome." He stuck out his bottom lip. Hermione laughed and Teddy's pout turned into a smile despite himself. "Is your grandmother here?"

Teddy nodded. "She's with grandma Molly." Hermione nodded but made no move to leave.

Harry smirked at her over Teddy's head. "Chicken."

She shot him a glare. "Shut it." Hermione was not looking forward to seeing Mrs. Weasley. She had no clue how the matriarch would react to Hermione now that she'd sort of stolen Harry away from Ginny. Well, Hermione hadn't done that at all, but Mrs. Weasley wasn't known for being rational when it came to her youngest daughter and Harry Potter.

"Gran said I'm going home with you, Uncle Harry," Teddy clarified excitedly.

Harry grinned and nodded. "Yeah, we're going to spend the weekend at Auntie 'Mione's."

Teddy's head swivelled around to Hermione and he smiled brightly. "Popcorn and movies?"

Hermione nodded. "Popcorn and movies." Teddy cheered. Hermione pulled Teddy from Harry's arms and set him back on his feet. "Come on, let's go find the others." Teddy took each of their hands and led them towards where some of the family was finishing setting up the dining table.

Harry leaned over and pressed a kiss to Hermione's temple. "Thank you, again."

She smiled at him and shrugged. "It was a selfish decision on my part. You know how much I love Teddy." Teddy grinned up at her when he heard his name. She touched his nose and his eyes turned the same brown as her own.

"Still," Harry persisted, "it's not like he's exactly your responsibility and it was already generous of you to let _me_ stay and…" Teddy let go of their hands suddenly and ran after a giggling Victoire in her pink flower girl dress. Harry took her hand and pulled her close. "I'm just really grateful I've got you."

"Well, what are best friends for if not taking you and your godson in and force feeding you slightly burnt pasta?"

Harry cast her a horrified look. "You are _not_ cooking." Hermione laughed as he pulled her towards the others. "I don't even want to see you in the kitchen. You promised you wouldn't cook again after you poisoned me the third time."

She shook her head as she allowed him to drag her closer to where Mrs. Weasley was undoubtably hiding. "And yet there I was, poisoning you a fourth and fifth time. I'm thinking I'll do fish for number six."

"You're a cruel, cruel woman."

"_Bonjour!_" The couple smiled as Fleur came towards them in a beautiful peach coloured dress. Her hair was partially braided back into an elegant twist. "_You look beautiful, 'ermione_."

"_Thank you! As do you_."

Fleur smiled graciously and kissed each of her cheeks. She turned to Harry and did the same. "And you look very 'andsome, 'arry."

"Thanks, Fleur. You're stunning, as always."

Fleur shook her head at him. "Always, dee charmer." She stepped back and looked between the two. "And 'ow iz everything been going?"

"Good," Harry said with a nod. He looked around. "I'm going to go find Ron and George." Hermione squeezed his hand and he smiled at her shortly before departing.

Hermione turned to Fleur. "_It's had its ups and downs_," she told the other witch with a shrug.

"_Is he staying with you_?" At Hermione's nod, the witch nodded in relief. "_Good, I was worried where he would go when we heard about Ginny and him. Bill and I were going to offer space for him._"

"_That's very kind of you both, I'm sure he'd have appreciated the offer._"

Fleur wrapped her arm around Hermione's waist and guided her closer to the house. "_Ginny also mentioned a thing or two about the minister?_" Hermione sighed and shook her head. "_Everything will be okay, 'ermione. If anyone can pull this off, it's the two of you._" She nodded, though her heart wasn't in it. If they didn't meet whatever invisible standards the minister had, she'd be out on her arse. It was a very sobering thought.

The ceremony was beautiful. Angelina looked incredible in her wedding dress that trailed behind her for days. George nearly cried when he saw her but ended up laughing joyously. There was an empty space left beside him for his best man, an unspoken understanding that the place was left for Fred. Hermione almost cried at that. Mrs. Weasley didn't stop crying the entire time.

The music blared loudly the entire night as the family and friends celebrated the union. Hermione danced with both Teddy and Victoire on the dance floor, laughing loudly. Harry sat by the table and watched them with a soft smile on his face. Hermione had always been brilliant with Teddy, right from the start.

His gaze drifted to the left side of the long table, the same place he'd been trying not to look all night. Ginny was there, wearing the lavender dress she knew he loved, on the arm of her fiancé Blaise Zabini. The tall, Italian wizard had come in a jet black suit and red tie. It looked unbearably warm and the red clashed with both Ginny's hair and dress, a fact that made Harry vindictively happy. He couldn't tell if she was happy though. It was too soon for her to be happy, wasn't it? How'd she even manage to get the git there so soon, anyways?

"Hey," Hermione said, out of breath, as she rushed up to him from the dance floor, "come dance."

Harry's eyes widened. "You know I don't dance."

She grabbed his hands and pulled him up from his seat. "Well, you've got to do something other than pout at Ginny all night."

"I'm not pouting," he denied with a pout. Hermione's answering smile said how little she thought that to be true. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he allowed her to lead him to the middle of the dance floor. Harry looked away as he smiled. He wrapped his arms around Hermione as he guided her into a slow dance.

Hermione peeked over Harry's shoulder at Ginny and Blaise. The tanned wizard whispered something in her ear and Ginny blushed and smiled. Harry glanced at Hermione and something on her face seemed to tell him exactly who she was looking at. "She used to have a crush on him."

Startled, Hermione turned to Harry. "What?"

"Ginny… she used to have a crush on him when we were in school. Told me once." Hermione didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't say anything at all. "I guess your matches were right after all," he added bitterly.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, you know I didn't—" She moved to pull back but he tightened his hold on her.

"No, I know." He pressed a kiss to her hair. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just… it hasn't even been a day and she's here with _him_ and…"

"Well," she gave a little half-shrug, "you're here with me."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"You don't have to look so sad about it," she quipped. Harry attempted a smile. "Hey, I'll have you know I'm a fabulous date. I put out and everything. Not on the first date of course. I'm a classy witch."

"So, the second date?"

"Sometimes even the third."

"Wow, I'm in awe." He shook his head as he grinned over her shoulder. "That level of self-control. How do you manage it?"

Hermione moved her hair out of her face with a little toss of her head. "Years of practice. It's a talent really. I'm very talented."

"I'm so honoured to even be in your presence."

She smiled up at him and her hand on his shoulder stretched up to touch the hair at the nape of his neck. "Feeling better?"

Harry met her gaze and smiled warmly. "Under your tender care? Always." Hermione rested her head against his chest as they continued to dance.

A little while later, the cake was cut and everyone was back at the table eating the sugary confection. Hermione sat with Teddy in her lap as he ate his and some of her own slice. He licked his fingers of white icing happily as Hermione laughed with Audrey. She was a lovely American witch that had married Percy two years after the end of the war. She was only three months pregnant but Percy had already started baby-proofing their home.

"I mean, I should have expected it," she continued with a wave of her hand. "He's always so very prepared. I love that about him."

Hermione smiled politely. "That's wonderful. I think it'd drive me barmy."

Audrey's laugh bubbled up behind the pale hand she put before her mouth. "Yes, but Harry will probably be infinitely worse. I mean, after everything he went through." At Hermione's widened eyes, Audrey leaned forward and quickly added, "Not that I know, obviously. I mean, I didn't even get to England until after the war and Percy doesn't like to talk much about it." The blonde haired witch continued to ramble a bit before she shook her head. "Anyways, I'm just saying, from _what I've heard_ Harry will probably very protective of your baby."

Teddy's eyes widened and only half of it was due to the sudden sugar rush. "Baby?" He twisted around in Hermione's lap and bounced excitedly. "Are you having a baby?"

"What?" Hermione looked back and forth between Audrey and Teddy.

Audrey leaned towards Teddy with a mischievous smile. "Not yet, but very soon."

"Audrey," Hermione snapped.

The blonde looked up and her annoyance at Hermione's tone was obvious. "There is never a need to snap." She stood and left the table. Hermione glared after her.

Teddy moved around in her lap so he could face her better. He had cake smeared across his mouth and on his hands. "Can I have a brother?"

Hermione's eyes closed. She felt a headache coming on. She grabbed a napkin from the table and wandlessly wet it before wiping the four year old's mouth. "I'm not having a baby, Teddy."

Teddy moved his head away and his blue hair turned curly just like her own. "But I want a brother. Auntie Audrey said you're having one with Uncle Harry."

She moved onto his hands and wiped them clean with a new napkin. "Auntie Audrey was only joking."

Teddy pouted. He reached up and grabbed her face, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Please?"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Damn, that boy could work her like a fiddle. "How about you go play with Victoire?"

Teddy studied her for a long moment. He was far too perceptive for a four-year-old. Finally, he nodded. "Okay." He slid down from her lap and snuck over to the petite blonde, pulling her pigtail before running away with glee as she chased after him.

Hermione let out a heavy breath. Children. Babies. With _Harry_? She shook her head. No. She was not thinking about that. Not there, not then. She still hadn't really accepted that she and Harry were getting married at all. Hermione quickly compartmentalized the idea and decided she'd pull it out to pick apart another day.

Something else, she thought quickly. She needed to think of something else to distract her. The names and statistical changes of all the matches ran through her head. Purebloods and purebloods, all high chances. Not a single Pureblood had been matched with a halfblood or muggleborn. Hermione frowned as she ran through the names. The chances of that were quite low.

Her eyes flew open when the realization hit her. They'd tampered with the matches. Hermione jumped up from her seat, nearly upending the chair as she did. Her eyes quickly scanned the party until she found Harry standing with George, Lee, and Ron. They each had a glass of fire whiskey in hand as they laughed and joked.

Hermione sped across the grass, careful not to catch one of her heels in a divot. She grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him away from the others. None of them even blinked at the sudden kidnapping of her date.

"Hermione? Hermione! Ease up!" His drink sloshed over the rim of the glass and he quickly switched it to his other hand and shook the whiskey from his wrist. "Christ, where's the fire?"

"They switched them!" she exclaimed, once they were far enough away from the rest of the party. Hermione had taken them out to the edge of the party under a tree that was strung up with twinkling magical lights in jars.

"Switched what?"

"The names! The matches! I think the Ministry mixed some of them up."

Harry was instantly alarmed. "Are you sure? Do you have proof?"

She made a face and shrugged weakly. "It's just a guess. I was going over the list in my head and I realized that purebloods have only been matched with each other."

Harry's brows drew together as he considered that. He didn't have the list memorized and he wasn't surprised Hermione did. "But that could just be a coincidence, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, but the chances of it? They're very, very small. It makes sense, though. If I wanted this law to stick, I'd do the same."

"What do you mean?"

"Where would a law like this be overturned?"

"The Wizengamot."

"And what sort of families preside over the Wizengamot?"

"Mostly purebloods," Harry replied uneasily. He shook his head. "But they've opened it up since the end of the war, you've got some halfblood families there now and they're passing a law to elect a selection of muggleborns every few years."

Hermione nodded "Yes, but how long do you think they'll be able to put off getting that through and then electing and assembling those new members? And then the law will have to be fought." Hermione licked her lips as she looked off into the distance. "The minister has this all thought out much better than I thought."

"Which is good, I guess." Hermione's eyes flickered over to Harry. "We aren't fighting it ourselves. It's good if the Ministry actually has some shit sorted out, makes our lives easier."

"I guess…"

They stood in silence for a long moment before Harry spoke again. "Do you think… Does this mean that Ginny and Zabini aren't actually…?"

Hermione blinked in shock. She ran the list through her head and compared it to the one she had made. "I don't… I don't know for sure. But I think I matched them… there are others, one's like Pansy and Goyle or Hannah and Nott that I just… I know it's not right."

Harry nodded. "Okay… but… Ginny will be okay?"

She smiled softly. "Yes, Harry. She'll be okay." He didn't ask if that meant they weren't supposed to be matched. She didn't bring it up.

Harry downed the last of his drink. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath. The hits just kept coming with this law. "We'll deal with this more tomorrow."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "We have Teddy tomorrow and — shit."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Do I even want to know?"

"My grandparents are having a barbecue tomorrow." Hermione ran a hand over her face. "I'll call and cancel."

"No, don't do that."

"Harry…"

"We have to tell them about the wedding, might as well." Hermione covered her face and groaned. She stepped closer and pressed herself against his chest. Harry sighed and hugged her comfortingly. "They just love fucking with us, don't they?"

"They get bored if they don't every once in awhile," she mumbled into his suit. He tried to laugh, but it sounded fake even to his ears.

The two took another minute to stew in their combined misery before donning plastic smiles and heading back into the party. No one had even noticed their disappearance. Fleur eyed Hermione when she joined her little circle of talking guests but didn't make any comments. She shielded Hermione from any prying questions and that was kind enough. Hermione was eternally grateful.

Teddy found her an hour later, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. It seemed like his sugar high had finally crashed. "I'm sleepy," he pouted and raised his arms to her to be lifted up.

Hermione bent down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. She didn't pick him up, having had to stop doing that after he turned three and a half. He was shooting up like a weed and she wasn't strong enough to keep him on her hip for long anymore. "Alright, should we go collect Uncle Harry?" Teddy wrapped his arms around her neck and nodded into her chest. "Okay, come on, sweetie." She took his hand and gently extricated herself from his grip. A quick look around and Hermione spotted Harry talking with Mr. Weasley in the corner of the dance floor.

Hermione led Teddy over and the toddler raised his hands up to Harry when they got there. Harry smiled and picked him up easily. "Someone looks ready for bed."

"We should head out."

Harry nodded at her. "I'll go say goodbye to Andy and let her give Teddy a kiss. Be back in a sec." Teddy rested his head on Harry's shoulder, eyes already falling shut as the elder wizard went off to find Andromeda.

Hermione turned and smiled at Mr. Weasley. "It was a beautiful ceremony, Mr. Weasley. Thank you for having us."

"Oh, think nothing of it, dear." He gave her a warm hug and when he pulled back, he raised his eyebrows in the most serious expression Arthur Weasley could ever muster. "Whatever happens, you'll always be family. The both of you."

Hermione's expression tightened. "What have you heard in the Ministry?"

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard nearly zero backlash at the Wizengamot. Anything that has reached my ears has either been quickly squashed or countered very swiftly. There's been nothing in the papers."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Except for Harry and I."

His shoulders drooped. "Minister Racksworth has been very good about highlighting the both of you. Everyone else is falling in line, since their hero seems to be doing so as well."

She shook her head. "I should just tell Harry to bugger it and run off with Ginny."

Hermione couldn't exactly place why Mr. Weasley's answering smile looked quite so sad. Softly, he replied, "I think we both know, that Harry would never even consider it."

Before Hermione could respond, Harry returned. He smiled and shook Mr. Weasley's hand. "Thanks, Mr. Weasley. We'll see you on Tuesday at Ron and Padma's Wedding."

The Weasley patriarch nodded briskly. "Of course, of course. I'll tell Molly you've both taken Teddy home."

"No need, sir. I passed her while I was making my way to Andy. Have a good night."

"And you both as well."

The small trio made their way along the outskirts of the party and back around to the front of the Burrow. Once they passed the wardings, Hermione took Harry's hand and apparated them back to her apartment.

:::

Teddy woke them up before Hermione's alarm.

Hermione frowned into her pillow, her hair a scraggily mess about her head. Someone had left the curtains open a crack and the sun was shining directly onto her face. She was about to roll over and go back to sleep when she heard a scuffling outside the bedroom again. There was a scraping like a chair being moved and Hermione was almost positive that the creak that sounded next was from her cupboard. Teddy was up.

They'd set him up on the couch the night before. He was tiny and the sofa Hermione had was more than enough space, not to mention comfortable. The only problem with the placement was that it was a ways away from Harry and Hermione in the bedroom.

Hermione groaned. She kicked her leg out and Harry cursed. "What the fuck was that for?" he grouched as he rubbed his shin. Hermione groaned. Harry lifted himself up on one elbow and fixed his glasses onto his face. "Words?" A growl. "Coffee?" A pleasant hum. Harry rolled his eyes.

There was the sound of something shattering and Hermione winced. Harry flew out of bed and was in the kitchen in an instant. Teddy stood on the stool, which had been moved to be in front of the sink, with a shattered mug on the floor. He smiled innocently at Harry.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you hurt?" Teddy shook his head. Harry waved his wand and the ceramic pieces disappeared. He moved across the tiny kitchen and picked Teddy up under his arms and placed him on the floor. "Come on, Ted. We've got to make some coffee before the Grinch crawls out of her cave." Teddy giggled.

Harry placed the stool back on the other side of the island and helped Teddy climb back into it. "Breakfast?"

"Yes, please!"

Harry set up Hermione's coffee maker before pulling out the cookware to start on breakfast. He cut up some strawberries for Teddy and he to snack on while the hash-browns cooked.

Teddy nibbled on the end of one before asking, "Is Auntie 'Mione really going to have a baby?"

Harry chocked on his strawberry. He coughed loudly and smacked his chest with a fist to dislodge the offending fruit. "I'm sorry," he coughed once the fruit was gone, "what did you say?"

"Auntie Audrey said Auntie 'Mione is going to have a baby," Teddy stated matter of factly. Harry's eyes widened. When had this happened? Hermione wasn't dating anyone. She'd have told him if she was pregnant. He was sure of it. "I want a baby brother."

"A brother?" Teddy nodded. "Why are you telling _me_?"

Teddy raised his eyebrows like he thought the answer to that rather obvious. "Because Auntie 'Mione is having the baby with _you_."

Things suddenly clicked. Ah, Audrey must have been talking about the law. Harry shook his head. "Teddy, Auntie 'Mione and I don't have any plans on having kids." Technically, that wasn't true. "Not any time soon, at least." Better.

Teddy pouted. "But I want a brother."

Harry leaned forward on the counter and smiled lovingly at his godson. "Really? I won't have nearly as much time for you if that happens. And there will be a crying baby about. I think we can all wait for something like that."

"No!" Teddy shouted, suddenly very upset. Harry's eyes widened. "You have to have a baby," he whispered urgently.

Harry's brows drew together. He kept his tone calm as he asked, "And why is that?"

"Because then you and Auntie 'Mione will be a mummy and daddy and then you can be my mummy and daddy too."

Harry's heart stuttered in his chest. Oh, Christ. "Teddy…" He didn't even know what to say to that. He rubbed his forehead. "Look, Teddy… your aunt and I love you very much. But I'm not sure that… _that_ is something that's going to happen right now."

Teddy made an adorably pensive face. "Are you sure?"

Harry couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, pretty sure."

The toddler nodded once and sighed. "Okay."

"Okay?"

He nodded. "I can wait."

Harry opened his mouth but no words came out. He really didn't know how to respond to that. He shook his head and turned back to the stove. Hermione could deal with it later, he resolved. He couldn't wait to see her face when Teddy said he wanted a baby brother again, and Harry was quite sure Teddy would say it again. The four-year-old had a penchant for repeating what he wanted over and over again until he got it.

Hermione emerged from the bedroom a minute later. Her hair had been tamed a bit and she looked a little more awake and less likely to bite then twenty minutes prior. "Coffee?" she questioned hopefully.

"A full pot," Harry responded, "all for you."

"Oh, you're my favourite person." She smiled at Teddy and kissed his head as she said, "And you're my other favourite person." She moved around the island and poured herself a large cup of coffee. Coffee in hand, Hermione took up the second stool beside the four year old. "Sleep well, sweetie?" She brushed Teddy's hair down but it simply turned into the untameable Potter locks. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

Teddy nodded and ate a strawberry. He was leaning forward on the kitchen island, his legs tucked under him since he was too short if he sat on his bum. "I had a dream about a puppy. Can I get a puppy?"

Harry snorted. "I don't think Gran would like that." Teddy pouted.

Hermione smiled into her mug of coffee. She took another sip before turning back to the boy. "My grandparents are throwing a barbecue today. Sound like fun?" Teddy nodded. "You've never met my family before, have you?" He shook his head. "You'll like them. There are a few kids about your age. You'll get to play lots of games and there will be lots of yummy food."

"Okay."

"Here we go," Harry announced as he set two plates in front of them. He put together a third for himself and the three tucked into breakfast. "What time is the barbecue?"

"Just before noon. We have a few hours still, I desperately need a shower before we go."

Harry nodded. "Right, and how many of them know about magic?"

"Just my grandparents, but they aren't well informed. Why?" Harry's eyes flickered to Teddy who's face was scrunched up in concentration as he tried to make his hair change red. It did, as bright as the strawberries on the plate and he smiled in delight. "Oh… I can make a potion for that."

"A potion?"

"It sort of cancels out the metamorphmagus abilities for a short amount of time. It's completely harmless. Andy asks me to make it when she wants to take Teddy into muggle London."

Harry nodded. "As long as it's safe. Will you have enough time?"

Hermione nodded as she shovelled more food into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed quickly. "I'll get started now. Keep Teddy out of the bedroom."

"Will do, boss."

Just as Hermione stood up, there was a tap at the window.

"Hoot hoot! Hoot hoot!" Teddy cried as he bounced on his knees.

Harry laughed. Hermione sent the boy a fond smile over her shoulder as she headed towards the window. "Yes, Teddy, that would be the post." She opened the window and took the paper and a few letters from the owl. It flew inside and landed on the kitchen counter.

"Do you want to feed the owl, Ted?" Harry asked as Teddy leaned close to the brown barn owl. Teddy nodded. He _hooted_ again as he fed the owl a rasher. Hermione placed the letters on the counter and opened the paper. She made a face at the front page. Harry looked over Teddy's head to her. "Do I even want to know?"

Hermione sighed and flipped the paper around so he could see. Front and centre was a massive wizarding photo of George and Angelina's wedding and just below the happy couple was Harry and Hermione. A photo, nearly as large as the one of the bride and groom, took up a great deal of the front page. It was Harry and Hermione just as they had arrived. They were walking, each holding one of Teddy's hands. The Harry in the photo leaned over Teddy to press a kiss to her temple and Hermione smiled as she leaned into the gesture.

"That's completely out of context," Harry protested.

Hermione shrugged. "Which isn't all that bad for us. But still. A little privacy might be nice."

Harry snorted. "As if that'll ever happen."

Teddy leaned forward and touched his finger to the smiling photo-Hermione. "You look pretty."

Hermione smiled and kissed his head. "Thank you, sweetie."

Harry nodded at the paper. "Anything else in there?"

She flipped open the paper and skimmed the pages. "Some more photos. Mostly us dancing and the other guests. The wedding really was beautiful."

"Mrs. Weasley knows how to throw a good party."

Hermione hummed in agreement. "Alright, I've got to go make that potion." She narrowed her eyes at Teddy. "You be good, little mister." Teddy smiled brightly.

:::

"I need to run out for a second," Harry said as he ducked his head into the bedroom. The tele was on in the living room, cartoons playing loudly as Teddy coloured at the coffee table.

Hermione looked up from her vanity table where she was fixing her curls into pretty ringlets. "What? Harry, we're leaving in less than an hour."

"I know, but I need to run an errand. It won't take long, I'll be back before we need to leave."

She glared at him. "You're going to make me late, aren't you?"

He smiled weakly. "I'm going to try very, very hard not to."

"And you're not going to tell me what you're doing?"

"Nope."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go." She pointed a finger at him and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Don't you dare be late, Harry James."

Harry smiled and winked before he disappeared. Hermione turned back to her vanity and huffed in annoyance. She finished with her curls before fixing her bangs quickly. A little lipgloss and she was done. Hermione had picked a pretty button up white sundress with sandals to see her grandparents that day. Her grandmother loved when Hermione wore white. It was a colour her mother was often fond of and Hermione carried it off just as well.

Hermione's fingers touched the bodice of the dress as her thoughts turned to her parents. They were still off in Australia, memories lost forever. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, facing the fact that she had finally found a problem she couldn't fix. It had taken her a long time to bring up the courage to face her grandparents.

They had been upset, of course, but relieved when they found out Hermione was alive. All three had disappeared for over a year and by the time Hermione finally returned, her remaining family had only been happy she was even alive. Her grandmother and grandfather had left to Australia for a few weeks to check in on their son and daughter in law not long after Hermione explained. After finding their children, both unharmed and unaware, they had returned.

Hermione remembered sitting in her apartment, waiting on bated breath for their call. She had feared they would never forgive her, but it seemed one had to do much worse in the Granger household than save their parents lives if they wanted to be disowned. As far as Hermione's grandparents were concerned, Hermione had done what was best.

Hermione shook her head and blinked her tears away. She should not cry about this, not again. She quickly left the bedroom and went to check on Teddy. He was still colouring, looking up at the cartoons every so often as he drew little flowers and trees on the page.

"That's lovely," Hermione complimented as she sat down on the couch behind him where he knelt. He turned and smiled at her before going back to his colouring. Hermione glanced at her watch. They had to leave soon. She pursed her lips. Harry was going to be in so much trouble.

"Hey, sweetie," she said to Teddy as she ran her fingers through his still red hair to get his attention, "how about that potion now?"

Teddy made a face. "I don't like it."

"Mmm… I know, but I added raspberries, just like you like."

"Really?" She nodded. "Okay." Hermione grabbed the small phial of potion from the kitchen counter and brought it over to Teddy. She popped the lid off before handing him the little glass container. Teddy drank it without complaint. Slowly, his hair turned from the bright strawberry red to its natural sandy blonde. Freckles dotted his nose and his eyes turned a golden hazel colour.

He looked just like Remus.

A _pop_ sounded and Hermione spun around to give Harry a glare.

"You're late," she informed bossily.

He looked at his watch. "I've got five minutes to spare." She narrowed her eyes. He took her hand and led her towards the kitchen. "Come on," he glanced towards Teddy, "nearly ready, Ted. Give me a few minutes and we'll go."

"Okay." He was already watching his cartoons again.

"What is this all about, Harry?"

Harry led Hermione back behind the kitchen island, hoping the distance would keep Teddy from overhearing too much. Harry took Hermione's hand in his own as he turned to her. "We're telling your family we're getting married today."

"Yes…" She shifted uneasily. "I know."

"I just… I wanted to be ready. I know your grandparents and I don't want them to think this is some silly thing. They won't believe us if they do. We want them at the wedding, right?"

Hermione nodded, feeling a little startled. "Yes, of course. I mean… they're my family but…"

"We need to take this seriously Hermione." He squeezed her hands. "I don't want want your family thinking that we don't want to be together. They want you happy, and so do I."

Hermione smiled. "That's sweet of you."

Harry smiled back before slowly getting down on one knee.

Her eyes instantly widened. "…Harry…"

From his pocket, Harry produced a small velvet box. He snapped it open to reveal a stunning diamond ring within. It was a classic cut, simple and elegant. It was beautiful. "Marry me?"

Hermione didn't know how she'd react to something like this, it was never something she'd considered. But the way her heart stuttered and her breath caught was both unexpected and not entirely unwelcome.

"Hermione?"

She blinked. "Wha - oh! Yes," she nodded quickly. "I do. I will. Yes." She laughed breathlessly.

Harry let out a dramatic breath of air. "Had me worried there, 'Mione."

"Shut up."

He stood back up and pulled the ring from the little box. He gave it to her as he nodded towards it. "Look at the inscription."

She turned the band and read the words inscribed there aloud. "'_I solemnly swear_.'"

"It was my mother's."

Hermione's eyes widened again. She looked up at him, completely shocked. "What? Harry I can't take this."

"'course you can. You will. You already said yes, no take backs."

Hermione gave him an unamused look. "It was your _mother's_."

"Yes, and now it's _yours_."

"Harry…"

"Hermione…"

She sighed in resignation. "What about Ginny?" Ginny had been wearing her own massive engagement ring only a little over a week ago.

Harry shook his head. "She wanted something new." He watched her nervously as she continued to stare at the ring but didn't put it on. "Do you not like it?"

"What? No! I love it." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I just… are you sure you want me to wear it?"

Harry smiled at her warmly. "'course, love." He kissed her forehead as she slipped it onto her ring finger.

"Oh, Harry… you're so lucky you've got a good reason for making us late." Harry chuckled under his breath. Merlin, did he know it.

* * *

So... thoughts? Happy reviews make for faster updates ;)


	5. v

.v.

"Hermione!" her grandmother exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, you look lovely, darling."

"Hello, Grams." Hermione gave her grandmother a big hug before entering the house. She gestured to Harry. "And you remember Harry, yes?"

"Of course, yes. Harry, so good to see you." Grams touched Harry's cheek and smiled warmly. Grams was a long-haired, blue-eyed old woman with wrinkles around her eyes and along with her hands. She tended to wear shirts that displayed the various protests she had been a part of in her youth and onwards, as well as jeans embroidered with flowers from the seventies. She liked to show off the fact they still fit her, even thirty years and four children later. Grams' eyes trailed down to the sandy-haired little boy holding on tightly to Harry's hand. "And who is this?"

"This," Harry introduced proudly, "is my godson. Say hello, Teddy."

"Hello, Teddy," he repeated cheekily.

Grams laughed. She pointed a finger at him as she turned to Hermione, a brow raised. "I like this one."

"I thought you might," Hermione responded with a smile. They entered the house and Harry handed over the hanging flower basket full of begonias. Grams graciously accepted them and guided them through the old home to the backdoor.

"Everyone's already here. You're late." Grams raised an eyebrow at her usually very punctual granddaughter.

Hermione blushed. "It's Harry's fault."

"Hey, I thought I was off the hook?"

"Not that far off the hook."

"I hear bickering!" a voice bellowed from the direction of the kitchen. A stooped old man scurried in the from the kitchen in a sweater vest and slacks. His hair was mostly gone and what remained was a flyaway mess. "Who's bickering on barbecue day?"

"Gramps!" Hermione exclaimed happily. She gave her grandfather a tight hug and a kiss to the cheek. "You look well."

He tapped her nose like she was still his little girl still and smiled brightly. "And as do you, my dear, as do you." His eyes swept past her to Harry and he raised a finger, the light bulb having gone off. "And here's the source of the bickering. Getting her all in a fuss again, eh, Harry?"

"Always, sir." Harry held out his hand and they shook in greeting. "I'd like to introduce Teddy, my godson."

"Oh ho!" Gramps bent down and smiled kindly at the suddenly very shy boy. "Hello, Teddy. Very happy to have you with us. I'm Granddad Wally. That one is Grandmum Ginger," he jerked a thumb at his wife who rolled her eyes fondly. "But if you can't remember that just go for Grams and Gramps, alright?" Teddy nodded, his face nearly buried into Harry's thigh. Gramps stood back up and raised an eyebrow at his granddaughter. "And why are you late?"

Hermione sighed as her shoulders sagged. "It's Harry's fault."

Harry raised an eyebrow at Hermione. "Upset already? I guess the novelty has already worn off, then?" Hermione smiled and shook her head.

"Novelty?" Grams questioned. Wordlessly, Hermione extended her left hand. Grams gasped theatrically and her hand shot out to grab her husband's chest. She looked heavenward and called out, "Finally!" Hermione's face turned bright red as Harry snickered behind her.

Gramps disappeared to the backdoor while Grams pulled her into a tight hug. "Hermione's getting hitched!" Gramps called out to the backyard. Cheers greeted his proclamation. Hermione thought her blush honestly couldn't get worse.

"When's the date?" Grams interrogated quickly.

"July 10th," Hermione responded nervously.

Grams froze. Her eyes narrowed on her only female granddaughter. "That's less than a month away. Are you pregnant?" Harry choked on what Hermione was sure was a laugh.

"What? No!"

"Damn," the older woman cursed.

"Grams!" she scolded.

Gramps turned back from the sliding glass door and shouted, "They want to know when the date is!"

"In a month," Grams shouted back without turning to look at him. Her eyes were narrowed and firmly fixed on her granddaughter.

He turned to the backdoor again. "In a—" He turned back to them with a shocked expression. "In a month?" Gramps scurried back towards them. "Are you pregnant?"

"Gramps, _no_," Hermione insisted.

"Damn." Hermione shook her head. She turned to Harry but his face was bright red from trying to contain his laughter. She would get no sympathy from him. "Oh well…" Gramps' disappointment was short lived. He smiled broadly again and exclaimed, "Welcome to the family, Harry!" Harry laughed as he accepted Gramps' hug and congratulations. "I always knew you'd finally work up the courage. I said, didn't I say, Ginge?"

"We all knew." Grams replied as she kissed Harry's cheek.

Teddy watched the proceedings with growing confusion. He looked up at his godfather and tugged on his hand. "Is this about the baby?"

Grams and Gramps' attention instantly zeroed in on Teddy. "Baby?" they asked together. Hermione's eyes widened in horror. She shot a look to Harry and he turned away quickly, unable to hide his amusement anymore.

Teddy nodded exuberantly. "Yup! Auntie 'Mione and Uncle Harry are going to have a baby. And then they're going to be a mummy and daddy and then they'll be my mummy and daddy too!"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed. She dropped down to her knee. "Teddy, where on earth did you hear that?"

Grams interrupted before Teddy could respond. "Are you hoping for a brother or a sister?"

"Brother!" Teddy piped up at the same time Hermione scolded, "Grams!"

"Well," Grams continued, completely ignoring her granddaughter, "I'll have to say I agree. I've got lots of grandsons but no _great_-grandsons." She tapped his nose and Teddy smiled widely. "I guess that makes you our first, doesn't it?" Teddy nodded happily. "Come now, honey, let's go meet the other great-grandkids." She took Teddy's hand and guided him to the back door.

Gramps smirked at Hermione and snickered before following Teddy and Grams out. Hermione stood back up and shot Harry a look. He smiled innocently and shrugged.

The curly haired witch huffed and shook her head. "Is it just me, or does my entire family think we've been dating?"

Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist as he guided her to the backdoor. "Let's not look a gift-horse in the mouth, shall we?"

Hermione couldn't argue with that.

:::

"That's my uncle Richie, he's the eldest and married to aunt Liz," Hermione informed Harry as she pointed out a tall man with a goatee and his wife on the other side of the backyard with bright red hair. "They have three sons: Martin, Gary, and Wilson." Hermione pointed each out. They were Hermione's cousins but almost two decades older. "Martin's been married twice and has three children: Sally, Riley, and Kelly. They're all from his first marriage to Diana who we love. He recently got remarried to Sasha," Hermione nodded towards a leggy blonde woman who looked about fifteen years younger than Martin. She was sipping something that looked alcoholic and was staying far away from the children. "We don't like her," she whispered.

Harry nodded, already feeling a little overwhelmed. "Right, and Gary and Wilson?"

"Gary is divorced, no children. Wilson is a bachelor and a charmer. You'll love him." Hermione smiled and hugged a short brunette that was heading past. "That's aunt Rachel, she's married to uncle Philip who is Grams and Gramps' youngest. They've got twin daughters about Teddy's age: Maggie and Millie." Harry nodded again.

"Aunt Sarah is married to uncle Ross. She's the second eldest and they have one son, Franklin. Franklin isn't married but he has a daughter named Mandy. She's the oldest great-grandchild, fourteen." Hermione came to a stop by the refreshments and turned to the overwhelmed Harry. "My father, Horace, was the second youngest. He and my mum, Helena had me. I'm the youngest grandchild. Questions?"

Harry's brow furrowed. His eyes trailed over the numerous party guests. "Alright, so… you're not just the youngest grandchild but the only girl?"

"Pretty much."

"They're going to eat me alive, aren't they?"

Hermione smiled and took his hand. "They'll love you, mostly because Grams and Gramps do. But also because you're very easy to love." The corner of Harry's mouth lifted into a little grin. "Now repeat it all back to me."

His eyes widened. "What?" His head whipped around and his eyes flickered over the unfamiliar faces. "You didn't say there'd be a test."

"Weren't you listening?" she teased.

"Oh, ease up on him, kid," Wilson joked as he came up to grab a drink. He wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and popped a kiss on her head. "How's our favourite bookworm?"

"Wonderful as ever."

"Aye, I hear congratulations are in order." Hermione smiled. He nodded. "Congrats, kid. Grams and Gramps have been goin' on about this one," he nodded at Harry, "since they met him."

Hermione's cheeks pinked. "They have not."

Wilson winked and didn't respond. He turned to Harry. "How about a drink, mate?"

"Sounds good."

Hermione slipped away as the two talked drinks, confident Harry would be find in Wilson's easygoing hands. He'd introduce Harry to the other grandsons. Hermione headed over to the grass where the kids were playing. She checked in on Teddy to make sure he being good.

As charming as his godfather, the little four year old had bewitched the other great grandchildren — all girls. They ran around the grass playing some sort of imaginary game of their own making.

"Congrats!" Hermione's aunt Sarah, shouted suddenly.

Hermione jumped and laughed. "Thank you."

Sarah pulled her close into a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you." She finally let her go and looked at her, as if expecting someone else to be standing before her. "Well, let's see the ring!" Hermione held out her hand, her face bright red. "Bloody hell," she cursed before her eyes went wide and she checked to make sure Grams hadn't heard. Hermione laughed. "This thing is massive."

"It was his mother's."

Sarah looked up, her blue eyes bright in the warm afternoon sun. "She didn't mind?"

Hermione shrugged awkwardly. "Harry's an orphan, actually."

"Oh… I had no idea." Hermione nodded. Sarah looked down at the ring again. She nodded once before meeting Hermione's gaze again. "He must love you very much… you know, to give you his mother's ring."

Hermione made a face. "Yeah, it's new." At Sarah's inquisitive look, Hermione waved her hand. "We got engaged but then Harry came home today with this—"

"Today?"

She nodded. "It was in the bank… a lock box?" Hermione quickly added when she remembered Gringotts operated differently to muggle banks. She shrugged a shoulder, still looking down at the ring. "He wanted us to have something for when we announced it."

"But not when he asked?"

"It was very… in the moment."

Sarah hummed happily. "I like in the moment."

"It's very Harry."

"And that ring is _very_ you." Hermione smiled as she fixed the ring on her finger. She was inclined to agree.

Later, Hermione was sitting with her grandmother on the patio. They had a direct line of sight to the grass where Harry was playing with Teddy and the great-granddaughters. Hermione smiled as Harry jumped to his feet faux threateningly and the toddlers all screamed and scattered. All except Teddy who hollered incoherently and jumped on him. Harry went down, howling like a wounded dragon.

"He's so great with kids," Grams observed with a smile. "He's going to make a great father."

"He is a great father," Hermione replied. "He's had such an active hand in Teddy's life… he is Teddy's father. The only thing making him hold off on having Teddy longer than just the weekends is how much he works."

Grams shook her head. "Another workaholic, I should have known." She leaned towards her only granddaughter, suddenly serious. "You love him."

Hermione turned to meet Grams' eye. "I do." And she did. Not the way Grams thought she did and not the way the rest of the wizarding world thought she did, but she did. It was perhaps the only thing keeping her from freaking out. She knew her marriage to Harry would work because of the years of friendship that preceded it. Well, the 100% match didn't hurt either.

Hermione's eyes slowly drifted back to Harry. 100%. A perfect match.

"This is all happening quickly, but I'm so glad you two have finally got yourselves sorted out."

Hermione blinked quickly and tried to draw herself back into the conversation and away from where Harry was tickling Teddy. "Oh?"

Grams snorted inelegantly. "You two… honestly." She rolled her eyes. "The longing looks. The lingering touches. I thought someone had dropped me in a bloody Harlequin Romance novel."

"Grams!" Hermione exclaimed with a startled laugh.

"What? It's true, kid. You both had it bad. I thought that boy was going to go so far as marry that redhead to forget about you."

Hermione's smile slowly fell. "…what?"

"You know," Grams replied with a flippant wave of her hand, "a while ago he was dating that friend of yours."

Hermione fiddled with the water bottle in her hands. "Ginny," she supplied quietly.

"Yes, her," Grams sipped her margarita. "Cute, but he didn't love her. Not properly."

Hermione tried to smile as she asked. "And how do you know that?"

Grams smirked at her. "He never looked at her the way he looks at you."

"That's not true," Hermione protested. She paused when she realized her mistake and then said. "I mean, Harry wouldn't have stayed with Ginny for so many years if that were true."

Her grandmother leaned close to her. "Hermione, what's actually going on?"

Hermione only had to meet her grandmother's gaze to know she couldn't lie her way out of this one. She sighed and leaned closer so no one would overhear. "The Ministry of Magic instituted a marriage law. Harry and I were matched together. We have one month."

Grams was silent for a long moment. "And if you don't?"

"Expulsion from the wizarding world."

Grams didn't even suggest she go through with that. She knew Hermione would never agree. Grams pressed a gentle kiss to Hermione's forehead. "It's a good thing you're in love with him."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, feeling like she were fifteen all over again. "_Grams_."

"Oh, ho. And look who's back!"

Hermione let out a startled laugh when she saw Teddy. His mouth and hands were stained red, his shirt was completely ruined. "Teddy!"

"Hi!"

"Did you get attacked by a giant strawberry?" Teddy nodded, a big smile on his face and two fingers in his mouth. Hermione turned to her grandmother. "Napkins?"

Grams snorted. "I'll grab the hose." She got up and left the sticky toddler to her granddaughter.

Teddy pulled his fingers from his mouth. "Gramps made ice-cream," Teddy informed as he stepped forward with his messy hands raised.

Hermione leaned back and raised a finger warningly. "_Teddy_…" The mischievous glint in his eye was all the warning Hermione had before he lunged forward and smeared the red ice-cream across the belly of her white dress. "Teddy!" The little boy squealed gleefully as he dashed away. "Teddy Lupin!" Hermione hollered as she jumped to her feet. The others laughed and whistled at Hermione's stained dress. Teddy had disappeared into the crowd of family members.

Hermione's eyes zeroed in on Harry who was smirking over his shoulder at her. He looked away when he caught her faze. Hermione's eyes narrowed. That _arse_. He put Teddy up to that, she just knew it.

Hermione made her way over to the desserts and Gramps handed her the strawberry cheesecake without a word. Hermione hefted it up on her one hand and used the other to tap on Harry's shoulder. Harry turned and in one swift move, Hermione shoved the cheesecake onto his shirt. She smeared the cake along the collar and up his neck.

Harry stared at Hermione, his lips twitched as he tried not to smile. Hermione smirked triumphantly. The family was laughing and whistling again, enjoying a side of the granddaughter they'd never seen before. Harry and Hermione's gazes met.

Hermione turned and ran. Harry chased after her. The witch screamed as Harry wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her up, her legs kicking as she laughed gaily. Back on her feet, Harry spun her around and took a piece of the cake from his shirt and smeared it across her chest. Teddy ran into the mix and an impromptu battle erupted in the middle of the lawn. Hermione smeared cake over Harry's face, turning her head away and laughing as he pressed said messy face into her neck.

The hose turned on and cold water soaked them instantly. Hermione and Teddy screamed. Grams watched, margarita in one hand and the hose in her other, with a smirk on her face. She finally turned the hose off when the small family was thoroughly soaked. Teddy jumped in the puddle before him.

"Clean clothes inside, kids," Grams instructed. "And don't you dare get my house muddy."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied instantly.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at him as they led Harry towards the backdoor. "You're a menace."

"Said the girl who started a food fight."

"You started it!" she hollered.

"And there they go again!" Gramps announced as they disappeared through the backdoor. "Honestly, that boy lives to rile her up." He smiled happily at his wife. "Gotta love 'em." Grams smiled and took another sip of her drink.

:::

"I look ridiculous."

Hermione chuckled as she continued to towel her hair dry. She was wearing one of Grams' protest shirts from the civil rights movement in the States. She had yet to find a pair of trousers that weren't bellbottoms but she was holding out hope for something.

Harry, meanwhile, had donned one of Gramps' ghastly short sleeved button downs. His trousers were definitely from the forties and very, _very_ high waisted.

"I think you look adorable." Harry glared at her. "Okay, how about a different shirt?"

"Please?"

Hermione ducked back into the walk in closet of her grandparents bedroom.

"All done!" Teddy exclaimed.

Harry turned to find Teddy dressed in a polk-a-dot shirt and red shorts. He smiled warmly. "Lookin' good, mate."

"You look silly."

"Believe me, I know." Teddy giggled and his eyes were suddenly the same colour as Harry's. "Uhm, 'Mione?"

"Yeah?" she called back, still lost in the closet.

"Do you have more of Teddy's potion?"

Hermione popped her head out of the closet. "Did something happen?"

"His eyes are green."

"Check my bag." She disappeared back into the closet.

Harry opened her beaded purse and held his hand above it. The potion flew up from it's extended depths and into his waiting palm. "Come here, bud. Once more and then we should be good." Teddy pouted but complied.

Hermione exited the closet in a pair of forties styled high waisted shorts, her protest shirt tucked into the waist. She tossed Harry a balled up shirt. "I've no idea where Gramps got that thing, since he doesn't watch movies, but I'm sure he won't mind you stealing it."

Harry held the shirt up and smiled at the _Jurassic Park_ shirt. "Wicked."

"Come on," she urged as she pulled her purse back together. "I want to try to eat dessert and not just wear it."

Harry's head popped through the neck of the t-shirt, hair and glasses all askew. He pursed his lips at her. "You take the fun out of everything."

"Not true!" She turned to Teddy. "Is that true?" Teddy shook his head. "Ha!" She stuck her tongue out at Harry before taking Teddy's hand and heading out of the bedroom.

"Oi! Real mature!"

Hermione smiled at him over her shoulder.

They joined the barbecue one more. Teddy feasted on the cookies and cakes arranged neatly across the table. Hermione sat down in a lawn chair next to her aunt Sasha who was clearly trying to tan in the late afternoon sun. "'lo," she greeted as she popped a grape in her mouth.

Sasha glanced at her niece. She was only a few years older than Hermione and not well liked amongst most of the family. Grams liked to call her a gold digger and in all fairness, Sasha had never tried to dispute the fact. "Oh, hello. Congratulations." She turned back to the sun and closed her eyes under her massive sunglasses.

"Thanks," Hermione said as she took a bite of the chocolate cake.

Sasha eyed her sidelong. "So, it's true?" At Hermione's raised eyebrow, Sasha continued. "You're pregnant?"

Hermione scowled. "No, of course not." She took another defiant bite of her chocolate cake.

The pretty blonde raised her eyebrows. "Then what's with the rush?"

"There's no rush."

"You're planning a wedding in less than a month, Hermione. That's a rush."

Hermione shrugged simply. "We don't want to wait."

Sasha rolled her eyes and turned back to the sun again. "Well, good luck to you."

"Excuse me?" Hermione, much like the rest of her extended family, had never been fond of her aunt Sasha. Today, she found the young blonde to be even more irritating than usual.

"With planning the wedding," Sasha clarified with a sniff. "Location, food, invitations, dress, flowers, priest, music. Christ, I don't envy you, kid."

Hermione blinked. She didn't know what was more startling, the fact that a woman nearly her own age just called her 'kid' or the fact that the woman who had done so might actually be _right_. Hermione had her work cut out for her. She had a lot to do in very little time, doubly so if they wanted this thing nice enough to fool the wizarding world.

She needed another slice of cake.

Grams hugged her tight, a few hours later as they said their goodbyes. "I know this all feels a bit insane," she whispered in her granddaughter's ear, "but it'll be fine." Grams pulled back and met Hermione's worried gaze. "I'm happy for you, my dear." She pressed her forehead against her only granddaughter's. "Try not to overthink it."

Her grandmother knew her too well.

"Love you."

"Love you too. Travel safe. Call us when you get home."

"Will do."

Grams leaned over the sleeping toddler in Harry's arms and pressed a kiss to his cheek. They all finished their goodbyes before the small family made their way to the apparition point.

"That was fun," Harry commented absently while he readjusted Teddy in his arms. Hermione hummed in response. He glanced over at the curly-haired witch and was mildly concerned to find her brows furrowed. She had her planning face on. It always spelled trouble when Hermione had that look on her face. "You alright?"

She blinked and shook her head. "What?"

"Did your grandmother say something? Did I miss something?"

"I'm fine, Harry," Hermione responded quickly with a shake of her head.

"Really? Because that sounds a lot like your 'I'm fine' after you've just spent twenty four hours at work and haven't showered in three days." She glared balefully at him. Harry smirked. "Tell me."

"It's something aunt Sasha said." Harry raised an eyebrow, deciding that whatever aunt Sasha says should probably be taken with a grain of salt. "It was about the wedding and how rushed it is and I mean, she's not wrong, this is all happening very quickly and there's a lot that needs to happen so I mean—"

"Hermione?" Harry interjected quickly. They'd reached the apparition point and both turned to face one another.

Hermione sighed. Her shoulders sagged and the furrow in her brow eased vaguely. "We just have a lot to do and neither of us have really considered it and… and it's happening in less than a month."

"The Weasley's just pulled together a wedding in less than a week."

Hermione nodded once. "Yes, but how much of the decoration, food, and music were all magical? We can't do that. My family has to be there which means the location has to be muggle friendly and somehow so does the ceremony and we might need accommodations for everyone and - and…"

"Hey," Harry took her hand gently, "it's going to be fine. We'll figure it out."

"It's just…" Her eyes watered. "I think it's finally hitting me that this is the only wedding I'm going to have. I want it to be right."

Harry stepped closer and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "It will be. I will do everything in my power to make it perfect. You deserve nothing less, love."

Hermione smiled. She leaned into Harry, her body pressed against his chest next to the deeply sleeping Teddy still in his other arm. Teddy shifted and sighed. Hermione pulled back. "Come on, we need to get him home." She took Harry's hand and they disapparated away.

:::

They had Ron and Padma's wedding right along the edge of the water at the Burrow. The trees were laced with fairy lights, reflected in the lake as the sun set over the horizon. Padma wore a beautiful, flowing dress over her pregnant belly. Her skin glowed in the early evening light and her hair shone like black silk. Ron was left so speechless he stumbled through all his vows.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Ron told Hermione, hours after the cake had been cut and the moon had risen. "I have the most beautiful wife in the world."

Hermione laughed and nodded. "I can't argue with that. She's stunning."

Ron sighed happily. "I'm gonna be a dad again."

The curly haired witch next to him couldn't help but smile widely. She leaned into her best friend's side and rested her head on his shoulder. They stood near the canopy of white cloth that had framed the happy couple during the ceremony. The water reflected the moon and stars back to them. "I'm so happy for you. You've gotten everything, everything you deserve and more."

Ron pressed a kiss to her head. His fingers curled around hers and he squeezed in comfort. "Sad?"

Hermione straightened and shook her head. She wasn't lying. "No. No, I'm not. I don't think it's possible to be sad on a day like this." Ron grinned. He was inclined to agree. "Besides, could you imagine if this were us?" Ron couldn't hold back his smirk and Hermione burst into laughter.

"We'd be a bloody disaster!"

"Oh, a nightmare for sure."

Their laughter slowly subsided into the night. Music drifted from the party towards them. "You know that's not what I meant, though." Hermione shifted uncomfortably. Ron gave her a serious look. "We haven't had much time to talk about everything that's going on but I want you to know you can. I'm still your best friend, always will be." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in for a lose side hug. "So, how're you dealing?"

Hermione smiled, she pressed her cheek into his suit. "A lot has happened. I promise we'll talk about it soon. Not tonight." Ron nodded once. "But otherwise…" She sighed. "We told my family."

"How'd that go?" he asked warily. Hermione's family had not been a big fan of Ron in their extremely short-lived relationship.

She shrugged. "Wonderful, actually. They love Harry."

Ron nodded easily. "Everyone loves Harry." She nodded as well. It was true. "But how are you… you know, feeling about it all?"

Hermione fought to keep the amusement off her face. Padma was good for Ron. Hermione had known for years but the proof still tended to throw her through a loop. She looked up at her best friend and smiled softly. "There's quite honestly no one else I'd rather be stuck in this all with. Harry and I will be fine."

Ron's eyes flickered in a way she knew meant he wanted to say something. He turned back to the lake and they stood together in silence.

Not long later, they headed back towards the rest of the party. The lights danced beneath the big wedding tent, the music drifted out across the open fields. It really was a beautiful wedding.

They reached the tent and Ron slipped onto the dance floor. He stole his wife away from Neville and danced her across the room. Padma laughed and pressed herself close to her husband, or as close as her pregnant belly allowed.

Hermione stood on the edge of the tent and smiled as she watched the happy couple. Harry was with Mrs. Weasley, twirling her to the music as the woman laughed happily. His eyes caught hers and they shared a smile.

Someone grabbed her arm. Hermione turned and her eyes widened at the sight of Ginny in her tight green dress. "We need to talk." Hermione took a deep breath and followed her friend away from the party, a fairly ominous feeling in the pit of her belly. She didn't notice the way Harry's smile fell away as she disappeared into the shadows.

Hermione followed Ginny to the tree that was still strung up with lights from Angelina and George's wedding a few nights prior. Ginny spun around, her arms crossed and her blue eyes narrowed. Hermione could smell the alcohol surrounding the redhead. She was pissed, Hermione realized.

"Ginny…?"

"You're a real piece a'fuckin' work, you know that?" Hermione frowned but didn't say anything. It was usually best to just let Ginny have her say when she was like this. "I mean, I thought you actually had a sense of what fuckin' friendship was. But clearly I was wrong."

"Ginny…?"

The furious witch stepped close, using her height to her advantage as she stared down at Hermione. "Was it good?" she seethed. "Did you enjoy fucking him?"

Hermione jerked back. "Ginny! I'm not sleeping with Harry."

"Of course you are, why bloody wait? He's yours now, isn't he?" she shouted the last part and Hermione was too stunned to defend herself. "Not that _that_ matters much. You've always had your eye on him. Couldn't keep your slutty little hands to yourself."

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "I think you've had more than enough to drink. I'm getting Mrs. Weasley—" She turned to do just that when Ginny grabbed her arm. She roughly tugged Hermione back.

"I'm not finished with you, bitch."

"_Ginny_," Hermione hissed.

"He was _mine_." Her nails dug into Hermione's arm. "I knew you never liked it but this is just too far."

Hermione leaned towards Ginny. "I don't have feelings for Harry. Ginny, be reasonable."

"Is that what you told yourself while you were sucking his—"

"Ginny!" Hermione was done with the younger witch's mouth. She stepped closer, her hair nearly sparking with her anger. "_Stop it_. I had nothing to do with this!"

"Didn't you?" the brown-eyed witch sneered. "You set this all up. Harry told me!" That cut off any retort Hermione might have had. Her jaw clenched and unclenched but she was at a loss for words to defend herself. Really, she couldn't. "He thinks you did it on purpose," Ginny hissed and Hermione flinched. She knew Harry _had_ thought that. Harry's reticence to talk about what transpired between his and Ginny's last fight sprung up in Hermione's mind. Her gut twisted.

"And no matter what he claims to believe now," Ginny's voice had gone soft in its near Slytherin cruelty, "we both know he'll always sort of believe it, won't he? Little Hermione Granger always pining after the boy she knows she's not good enough for."

Hermione's eyes burned. She glared up at Ginny. "That is _enough_," she whispered.

Ginny made a face. "I remember how upset you were in third year when he wouldn't talk to you. Absolutely pathetic. And there Harry was, completely and utterly fine without you. I told you then and I'll say it again now 'move on, because Harry Potter will never want you.'"

Hermione took in a long, deep breath through her nose. Her teary eyes met Ginny's. "I guess it doesn't matter either way, does it? Harry has me now whether - whether he wants me or not and I'm not going anywhere." She stepped forward threateningly. "And before you think about going off with great big gob of yours, know that Harry and I haven't told _anyone_ about my involvement with the matches. If someone finds out, it'll be _your_ head Harry comes after." Hermione's jaw clenched as let those words sink in. "And I think we both know, that Harry will take _my_ side on this." A small, false smirk spread across Hermione's lips as she tilted her head. She would not let Ginny know how affected she was by the younger witch's words. "He always does, doesn't he?"

Without a backwards glance, Hermione stormed back to the tent. She entered into the massive party again but hung back in the wings. Her fingers swiped at her cheeks harshly. She hoped she didn't look like she'd been crying.

Ginny had been in true form, that was for sure. Hermione burned with anger. How dare she bring up her - her _crush_. She had been fourteen. Of course she had a crush on Harry. Everyone had a crush on Harry at some point. That was long gone and dead, though.

Hermione crossed her arms as she simmered in rage. The things Ginny had said had been foul and more than a bit vulgar. The brunette's eyes flickered to the far side of the tent where she saw Ginny and Blaise sneak away from the festivities together. Their hands were clasped and they giggled like school kids. It was obvious what they were going off to do.

Hermione glared. Silently, she wished Blaise luck because he would need as much of it as he could get. Poor bloke.

A small boy with a head of Potter locks tugged on her wrist. "Auntie 'Mione?"

Hermione looked down and smiled at Teddy. His eyes were even the same green as Harry's. "Yes, dear?"

He raised his hands. "Up?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes before sighing heavily. She reached down and lifted the boy up onto her hip. She let out a heavy breath. "Why are you so heavy now?"

"Because 'm a big boy!"

Hermione laughed. "Yes, yes you are." She kissed his cheek.

Teddy wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. He stared up at her with the big green eyes he often only made when he wanted something from her. "Better now?"

"Better?"

Teddy perked up nodded strongly. "I was sent in as reinfercmens!"

Hermione blinked in confusion. "Reinforcements?" He nodded again before looking across the dance to where Harry was holding a glass of champagne and talking with George.

Hermione smiled and turned back to Teddy. "I'm always better when you're around, darling." She kissed his cheek again as she hugged him close.

* * *

Thoughts?


	6. vi

.vi.

Sometimes, Harry really hated the wizarding world. Lately, he'd hated it quite a lot. The papers were flooded with photos of Hermione and himself dating all the way back to third year. There was a considerable amount from the post-war banquets, which Harry thought was entirely unfair.

He sat at his desk and glared at the photos in the _Prophet_. Hermione was wearing a lovely dress, muggle in fashion. Her beautiful curls pulled back so just pieces framed her glowing face. She laughed in the photo, Harry's arm wrapped around her waist. They were standing close together as he whispered something in her ear.

Harry rolled his eyes at his photographed self.

The door to his office opened and the minister stepped inside. Harry bit back his fierce scowl. And the hits just kept coming.

"What do you want?"

Minister Racksworth raised an eyebrow and straightened his shoulders. "Is that any way to greet the Minister of Magic?" The door closed behind him with a snap.

"Sorry, what you do you want you two faced prick?"

The minister's lip curled. He looked around Harry's office and sniffed in distaste before he settled in the seat across from the young healer. "Your wedding is coming up."

"What the fuck has that got to do with you?"

Minister Racksworth leaned forward suddenly, his moustache twitched as he glared. "You'd better watch yourself, Potter. I can make your life very difficult."

"More so than already?"

"Don't test me."

Harry leaned his elbows forward on the desk. "What do you want?" he enunciated slow and clear.

"Arrangements for the wedding need to be made."

"You are not organizing my wedding."

The minister sneered. "That's not what I meant. Publicity will need to be there. I want articles and interviews, exclusive." Harry seethed but said nothing. "One for the wedding and another for the announcement of Hermione's pregnancy."

Harry felt something inside him snap. "She isn't pregnant!"

"No," the fat wizard hissed, "not _yet_. But when she is. The interviews will follow her through the pregnancy and—"

"This is ridiculous!" Harry cried in outrage. "We are not toys. You can't just make us do what you want and photograph us at a whim and—"

"Yes. I can." The threat went between them unspoken but clear. "It is in your best interest to keep the public happy. This will do that." Harry seethed silently in his seat. "You are not allowed to just disappear from the world." He stood and straightened his robes before plucking the _Prophet_ from Harry's desk. His eyes briefly scanned the photos. "And for Merlin's sake, take your witch on a date. The _Prophet_ has run these same photos three times now." He tossed the paper back onto the desk and turned to leave.

"I choose," Harry claimed suddenly. The minister paused, his hand on the doorknob. "The photographer and the journalist, both. If they're going to be documenting my life, then they need to be people I know won't slander it."

The minister narrowed his eyes. He looked ready to argue but something about the set of Harry's jaw told him to take his victory. The short man nodded once before taking his leave.

Harry looked down at the paper and sighed heavily.

Sometimes, Harry really hated the wizarding world.

:::

Something jumped on Harry, startling him awake.

"I figured it out!" Hermione exclaimed from on top of him.

Harry blinked and squinted at her. It was dark in the bedroom, the blinds still closed and no light attempted to peek through. Harry scrambled for his glasses on the bedside table. "What? What time is it?"

"Who cares? I figured it all out. Look!" She turned and rolled off of where she had previously straddled him. She grabbed Harry's hand and dragged the unwilling wizard from the bed. Harry grumbled under his breath as he followed the abnormally energetic witch from the bedroom.

The living room was bright and alight with life. The couch was covered in parchments, magazines, address books, and various other things Harry didn't recognize. There seemed to be letters and pictures of flower arrangements scattered across the entire floor.

"Hermione… how long have you been up for?"

"I don't know. Does it matter? Look." She marched into the middle of the living room and picked up a random picture. "It was the location. That was the problem. It had to be muggle friendly and that narrowed it down so far that it almost seemed like there was nowhere we could even go. I couldn't pick flowers, or music, or food, or anything really. We needed a _location_."

"Hermione…" Harry began warily.

"Brookswood," Hermione announced with finality. As she thrust a photo into Harry's hand. It was a shot of a young Hermione in jeans and a jumper in front of a pretty lakeside.

"What's Brookswood?"

"It's a cottage. My parents own it. I completely forgot about it. Technically, it's mine now. My extended family owns the surrounding cottages!" She smiled and gestured excitedly. "We can get married at Brookswood and then the family can all go back to their respective cottages and the magical attendees can apparate home! It's perfect." Hermione spun around again and picked up a cutout of a flower arrangement from under the table. "Which means we're going to go with this, or something similar. I think I want something else in their as well. I can't decide between roses, tulips, or—"

"Tulips," Harry interjected.

Hermione blinked. She nodded and spun around. "Okay. Tulips. Next I figured out food."

"Hermione…" Harry took her hand and spun her back around. Her curls were a mess, her jumper askew and her eyes looked nearly massive. "Have you even slept yet?"

"There isn't time!"

Harry sighed tiredly. "Come on, love."

"Just five more minutes. I haven't shown you the seating arrangements."

"Tomorrow."

"But—"

"_Hermione_."

She knew that tone. Hermione's jaw snapped shut. Her lips pursed together and she frowned but didn't argue. The lights shut off behind them as they moved through the apartment and back into the bedroom.

"Come on." Harry gestured and Hermione pouted as she shrugged off her jumper. He helped her into one of his old Quidditch jersey's she'd never returned after the horcrux hunt. She slipped off her jeans and crawled into bed. "You know you have work in a few hours, right?"

"We have two weeks until the wedding."

"I know, Hermione." He stumbled around the bed and back to his side.

Hermione rolled over to face him. "I've got nearly all of it figured, now. Aren't you happy?"

"Ecstatic," Harry deadpanned. The bed dipped under his weight. Hermione pouted. He sighed when he saw her expression. "Yes, love. I'm happy. I just don't want you to sacrifice your sanity for this." He leaned forward on an elbow and raised an eyebrow at her. "I was also under the impression that I would be involved."

Hermione ducked her head. Her fingers picked at the bedspread. "I didn't do _everything_."

"Mhmmm?" Harry smiled, unconvinced.

Her hands hit the bed in protest. "I didn't! I don't know what to do about the press that the minister wants there. You can deal with that."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

Hermione shrugged a shoulder. "You can plan the honeymoon as well." She didn't notice the way Harry froze at her words. "I figured we could just stay at the cottage for as long as we wanted. I don't know how long you wanted to take off. Both of us are probably due for a nice vacation anyways and the cottage will be lovely this time of year but… Harry?"

Harry looked nearly constipated. "Honeymoon?"

She raised an amused eyebrow. "Well, yes. We are getting married, Harry. Usually, there's a honeymoon afterwards." She laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're ridiculous sometimes." Hermione turned the light off and rolled over to go to bed. She stretched and sighed. "Well, at least we're prepared now."

Harry laid back, his eyes wide and unblinking. His heart was racing. Honeymoon. He and Hermione were going to have a honeymoon and, presumably, do honeymoon _things_ whilst on it.

Bloody hell.

Harry was not prepared.

:::

"It'll be fine, mate."

"I really don't think it will."

Neville glanced at Harry over the rim of his butterbeer. He tried not to laugh at his mate as the black haired wizard sat nearly petrified at the thought of having sex with his soon to be wife.

They were at the Hogshead having a pint each during the Hogsmeade weekend. School was almost over and the children were running about the small village like it was the last time they'd ever see it.

Neville shook his head from his seat at the bar beside Harry. "I don't know what you're so worried about, mate."

Harry widened his eyes at his friend. "Where have you been the first half of this conversation?"

The chubby cheeked brunette raised his hand placatingly. "Okay, I get what you're worried about. I just don't get why." Neville shrugged and shook his head. "I mean, you're _Harry Potter_. Why the hell would you think you're crap in bed?"

Harry winced and looked around. "Say it louder, I don't think the bloke in the back could hear you."

Neville rolled his eyes. The Hogshead was as empty as ever. There was a goat in the centre of the room and the bloke in the back was, in fact, passed out. Of course, Neville reasoned, when it came to Harry Potter you never could know who was listening and when. "Look mate, it's not like… I mean you've…" He gestured.

Harry scowled at him. "What? Of course I have."

Neville raised his eyebrows. "And?"

"And what?"

"How was it?"

Harry blinked. He shook his head. "We are not talking about this."

Neville sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure we are, mate."

The Chosen One's head fell to the bar and he groaned. He did not want to talk about this. Neville had hit the nail on the head though, and Harry knew he had to answer. He shrugged as best he could while his head was still on the table. "It was alright," he mumbled into the wood.

Neville snorted into his pint. He choked and was forced to cough while he tried to recover. Once he finally had, Harry was glaring at him. "Sorry, just… wow. I mean, I heard Ginny was a bit of a cold fish but wow."

Harry's brows furrowed and he pinned Neville with a hard gaze. "Who told you that?" What did 'cold fish' even mean?

Neville shrugged. "Dean… and Seamus." He thought about it and then nodded. "Yeah, they were both with her, right?"

Harry blinked rapidly. "She…wait, what?"

His friend's eyes widened. "She never told you?" Harry's mouth pinched as he stiffly shook his head. Neville ran a hand over his face. "Well, can't say I'm not surprised. Witches lie about that sort of thing, don't they?" Harry shrugged. Apparently, they did. "And I mean, Ginny loves you. Probably didn't want you to feel bad about it."

Harry tried to appear unaffected but he knew he was failing miserably. "When did she date Seamus?"

Neville pulled his lips into his mouth as he debated answering that. "During the Final Year." The Final Year. That's what they had taken to calling Voldemort's year of reign. The year Harry had spent on the run, risking his life, hunting down horcruxes. The year Ginny had spent at a Death Eater infested school.

Harry felt like he'd received a swift punch to the gut. Ginny dated Seamus during the Final Year? Ginny had slept with both Dean and Seamus and not told him? The knowledge stung and left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Neville leaned forward so he could meet Harry's line of sight. "But this isn't about Ginny, right?"

Harry sighed and leaned back. No, it wasn't really about Ginny and their sex life — or lack thereof. "I'm going to have sex with my best friend."

Neville nodded once. "Least it's not Ron."

The comment choked out a startled laugh from Harry and suddenly the two were laughing uproariously. The laughter cut the sadness and tension from them both. Harry suddenly felt loads better. He remembered why he'd come to Neville of all people, then. He was a good mate.

"What if I'm… a disappointment?" Harry finally asked after their laughter had subsided and their drinks refilled.

"To Hermione?"

"It's not like she'd gonna lie and say she's a virgin."

Neville raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement. Hermione wouldn't even try it. "She's not gonna be judging you. It's sex." Harry made a face and rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Was Ginny really critical in bed?" Harry glared at his mate. "I bet she was."

"We're not talking about this."

"We sort of are."

Harry groaned.

"Okay," Neville started anew, his hands rested on the bar, "let's put it this way. She slept with _Ron_. You're gonna be fine."

Harry spluttered out a laugh. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

His friend snorted. "'course it is. You remember him and Lavender sucking face in sixth." He shuddered dramatically. "No one can be worse than that."

"Poor Padma."

"A tragedy."

They snickered into their pints. Both knew it wasn't true and not only because they'd accidentally walked in on Padma and Ron having sex on New Years three years ago. No one walked away from a relationship with Hermione Granger without some sort of sexual skill, it was essentially a fact.

Harry figured he should probably take solace in that. Even if he started out as a disappointment, he wouldn't end as one. But that was just it, wasn't it? He didn't want to disappoint Hermione.

"She's not Ginny," Neville said softly. Harry blinked and looked up at him. "She's not expecting some all impressive hero who can do no wrong." He shook his head at Harry. "I never got it with you and Ginny, honestly. All you try and do is run away from the whole Harry Potter: Chosen One crap, and yet you run right into the arms of the bird who probably loves it the most."

"She's grown up."

"Yeah, but some things don't change." Neville fixed his mate with a piercing look. "Hermione's never looked at you like that. She's not gonna. She'd probably be happy if you're bad in bed. Merlin knows I'd be — you're bloody brilliant at everything."

Harry rolled his eyes and looked away. He took a long sip of his butterbeer.

"Why did you get back together with Ginny?" Neville had always wondered. They'd been apart so long, and had grown so much. It had never made much sense to him. "I mean, Hermione was with Ron and —"

"I'm in love with her," he whispered. The words sounded as if they had been pulled from him without his consent. Harry's eyes widened at his own admission. His shoulders hunched. Neville nodded once, easily. He figured. "But she doesn't love me back," the raven-haired wizard continued, and Neville's brow furrowed, "not the way I love her."

Neville held his breath. The pieces all fell together.

Harry wasn't upset about sleeping with his best friend. He was upset that he was finally getting to be with the witch he'd wanted for years and that she still didn't want him back. He was in love with her — with Hermione.

Neville blinked. How long? Since the Final Year, at least. Maybe before that? All this time? Neville's mind was reeling as the thoughts all rushed him at once. Ginny and Harry's relationship had always been rocky at best, it was no secret. Neville had noticed an odd tension between Hermione and Ginny and wondered briefly if the redhead had guesses where Harry's heart had truly laid.

Blimey, Harry hadn't even proposed to Ginny. But as he'd told Neville earlier, he'd done so for Hermione. He had given her his _mother's_ ring for Merlin's sake. The dichotomy between Harry's short engagement to Ginny and his one to Hermione was startling. Harry was in love with her — and she had no clue.

The wedding of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger was going to be very bittersweet indeed.

Neville clapped a hand on his friend's back. "She loves you, mate." Harry opened his mouth. "Give it time. I… I probably shouldn't be saying this but…" He hunched forward and whispered, "Hermione had a massive crush on you when we were younger."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"She did!"

"Watch yourself, Nev. You sound like Skeeter."

The brunette shook his head and sighed. "Fine, don't believe me. But just… stop overthinking it, yeah? You and Hermione work really well together. And if you're all worked up, she's gonna know and you know if Hermione catches a whiff of your discomfort she'll go after it like a bloodhound. Then you'll be well and truly fucked."

Harry's eyes widened. He couldn't argue with that. There was nothing he could do. Hermione would eventually figure out what he was so anxious about, things he didn't even know how to voice himself. She was going to rip into him until it was all out - everything. He wasn't sure he was ready for that.

Harry's eyes scanned the bar as his mind searched for a change in topic. His gaze fell on an old copy of the _Prophet_. He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Shit, I forgot."

"What?"

"I've got to pick a journalist to cover the wedding and everything after."

Neville raised an eyebrow. "Everything after?"

"Announcement of the pregnancy. Each trimester. The birth. The one year mark. And then pretty much every other major event for the rest of my life."

"Fuck."

"Yup."

Neville grimaced and finished his butterbeer. "The minister needs to crawl out from your arse. Merlin's balls, mate."

Harry's hands had caused a wild mess as they tugged at his hair. "Just kill me… again."

"It'd be easier."

Harry snorted in self-deprecating amusement. "Christ, if 'Mione hears me talking like this, she'll skin me." Neville raised his eyebrows and smiled into his hand. Harry glared at him. "Shut up."

The Herbology professor cleared his throat and tried not to tease his friend about his fiancé and supposed love of his life. "Ask Luna?" Harry raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "She could be your journalist. I mean, if you're gonna have someone chronicle the rest of your life, make it a friend, yeah?"

Harry nodded along as he sipped his drink. He liked that idea. Hermione would agree to it in a heartbeat. And most importantly, Luna would never roll over and report exactly what the minister wanted. He couldn't wait to see Hermione's face when he told her his decision for the reporter. Harry grinned at the thought.

"Thinking about Hermione?"

"Fuck off!"

:::

Harry felt much better after talking to Luna. She'd readily agreed to being the reporter for their wedding — and the rest of their lives. She'd also promised to supply her own photographer, which meant Harry's part was fully taken care of.

He actually felt calm about everything again. A reporter had been chosen, Hermione had the wedding planned, everything was coming together. For the first time in a while, Harry felt like things might just turn out.

There was still so much to worry about — the wedding, the wedding _night_, having a baby. But that was all far enough into the future that Harry felt relatively calm about it. Well, maybe not the wedding night. That still made his fingers twitch and his heart race.

Best not think about it.

Harry had already decided he'd tackle that problem as he tackled most in his life. He wouldn't think about it until just before he had to face it and then he'd wing it. Harry nodded once to himself. It was a good plan.

The raven-haired wizard stepped through the floo, finally feeling calm once more. The picture that greeted him when he exited Hermione's fireplace had his heart immediately racing and his magic swelling.

Andy was sobbing horribly on Hermione's couch, the curly-haired witch trying desperately to soothe the older woman. "What's happened?" Harry demanded breathlessly. "Where's Teddy?" His question threw Andy into heart-wrenching throbs and Harry thought he might actually throw up. Something was wrong with Teddy. Something had happened to Teddy. Oh, Merlin. His magic filled the room in his panic.

Hermione glared at him fiercely. She pointed at the open kitchen. "Go, now." Her tone brooked no argument and despite Harry's panic — or more probably, because of it — he followed without complaint. Hermione turned back to the older witch and shushed her kindly. She murmured softly to Andromeda for several extremely long minutes in which Harry paced restlessly.

Finally, Hermione rose from the couch and entered the kitchen. There was no door or even walls that separated the kitchen space from the living space, but Hermione waved her wand and a _muffliato_ instantly did what a _silencio_ could not without walls. She raised an eyebrow at him sternly. "You need to calm down."

"Teddy—"

"Is fine," she assured in a calming tone. "Take a deep breath and control your magic." Harry did as she said. He slowly breathed in through his mouth. Harry seemed to breathe his magic back into his body. Hermione shivered, feeling suddenly bereft after his warming magic had been fully sucked from the room again. "Better?"

Harry nodded. His hands were clenched into fists at his side but he kept his magic in check. "What's going on?" His voice was deep and held that silent sort of command left over from the war.

"Andromeda's fiancé just entered the country again. He was away on business so they hadn't met yet." Harry's brow furrowed but he nodded along. It had been a shock to him when he'd read the list of intended couples and found Andy's name. She was a grandmother for Merlin's sake, but she was still young enough to have children in the wizarding world. "He's a pureblood," she revealed delicately. "And he isn't sympathetic."

"Sympathetic to what?"

Hermione eyed Harry with a gentle look he didn't know how to interpret. It set him on edge. There were very few looks Hermione had that Harry couldn't read. "Sympathetic to us," she finally revealed with a sigh. "He is refusing to raise the child of a… of a werewolf."

Harry tensed. His jaw clenched and magic sparkled around his fist where it rested on top of the counter. "What does that mean for Teddy?"

Hermione swallowed. "Andy has to give him up. Either we take Teddy after we get married or…"

"Or…?"

"Or Teddy is being sent to an orphanage."

Harry felt his heart palpitate in his chest. "That's - no — _Hermione_." He shook his head desperately. "We can't let that happen."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she huffed. "Of course that's not going to happen." She pursed her lips at Harry. "As if I'd let my favourite Lupin go to an _orphanage_." She smirked at him. "I'd sooner leave you at the altar."

Harry huffed out a laugh. "Oh, you'd better not. Our poor, adoring fans," he stepped closer and his fingers skimmed her waist. "What would they say?"

She smiled indulgently at him and shook her head. "Yes, well… I'm going to go talk to Andy. Teddy is with the Weasley's and he doesn't know the news yet. I'll meet you there when she's feeling better about it all."

Harry nodded. Hermione turned to leave but Harry's grip tightened around her waist. Her eyes flickered back to him and Harry stepped closer. He pressed his lips against her forehead before he let her go. Hermione smiled up at him. Her hand cupped his cheek and she rose up on her toes to kiss the side of his mouth. It was chaste, friendly — Harry closed his eyes as he savoured it. When he opened his eyes again, Hermione had entered the living room again.

Harry stared after her. Well, he thought numbly, it looked like parenthood was going to be happening a lot sooner than either of them expected.

* * *

And the hits keep coming!

I wasn't going to post until Friday but you guys just floored me with your reviews this past chapter. I got over 40 reviews in four days. I'm still reeling. I've also started posting a new story called Child Bride. It's a Sirmione with time travel and some slight marriage law. I basically said "let's do ALL the tropes" and hey, it worked!

Anyways, thank you so much for all the kind reviews, they never fail to make me smile. They also inspire me like no one's business!

Thoughts on Teddy joining the family?


	7. vii

**_Warnings:_**_ abusive relationship (emotionally and mentally but not really physically). I already know some of you will have problems with this chapter. But a lot more of you have been asking questions/getting angry about the relationship between Ginny and Harry. If that's the case, then this is the chapter you've been waiting for! We finally get a pretty good look into what was going on there. _

.vii.

"Just choose one Harry," Hermione groaned. There were an array of cake slices before them. "You are supposed to be the decisive one."

They only had ten days before the wedding. Harry had still yet to choose a cake flavour.

"But what if no one likes what I choose?"

"Tough for them, it's _our_ wedding."

Harry pouted. "Teddy would be so disappointed."

Hermione sighed. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. "Teddy will literally eat anything." She looked back up at him, thoroughly exasperated. "I had to stop him from eating my lipstick the other day."

Harry snorted out a laugh. "In his defence, it smelled like raspberries."

Hermione couldn't help her incredulous laughter. Honestly, her boys. She dropped her hands to the table and took a steadying breath. "Okay, fruity, chocolate, or vanilla?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Chocolate?" he responded slowly.

"Filling?"

"More chocolate?" he continued, even more slowly and unsure. Hermione stifled her laughter and picked up a slice of cake. She gave it to her fiancé. Harry took a bite and immediately moaned. "It tastes like chocolate treacle tart but _better_."

"I think we have our cake." Hermione pulled out her clipboard and wrote the flavour of cake down. She made a couple other notes as Harry continued to indulge himself in the chocolate confection. "Madame Mayflower says she'll have it ready for us in time. There aren't any magical ingredients in any of these flavours either, so we can give out a recipe if my Aunt Sarah asks and I _know_ she will."

Harry nodded along. "I got all the flowers ordered before I met you here. They'll come the day before the wedding and we can set everything up. And by that I mean Mrs. Weasley will set everything up and probably clean the place top to bottom."

Hermione smiled off into the middle distance. "Merlin, I love that woman."

"Teddy will be with Andy until we pick him up on Tuesday after the long weekend." He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Are we sure Teddy can't stay with her?"

Hermione shrugged in defeat. "She has to marry Richard, it's the law. And he refuses to have Teddy in his house. Andy doesn't think it'll be safe for him. She loves Teddy more than anything in the world, she won't risk his safety."

Harry leaned forward, his face serious. "Did he outright threaten Teddy?"

Hermione leaned forward as well. "Does it matter? Would you ever put a child in a home where someone didn't want him?" Harry couldn't argue against that. He'd lived in that exact situation. It wasn't something he'd ever willingly put Teddy through. There was only so much Andy could do to protect him. "And she can't walk away. If she does, she gets kicked out of the magical world and then she'll _never_ see Teddy. This is the best way to do things that allows her to see her grandson often."

"I just don't get how he could do this. The more I think about it, the more upset I get that Andy's just letting Teddy go."

Hermione covered Harry's hand with both of her own. "She's not letting him go. She's picking her battles. She's going to have to marry this man. She's going to have to raise children with him. How will it affect Teddy if in a few years, when Andy has a baby that is treated like gold by his step-grandfather while he's treated like… less than dirt?" She smiled sadly at him. "We both know, Teddy will never have that problem in our home."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "You're right. Of course, you're right." He shook his head. "I'll drop it now. Are you sure you don't want a longer honeymoon?" His question was thrown into the conversation like a lifeline for a desperate change in topic. He pushed his plate away. His forehead was creased with anxiety.

Hermione ran with the change in topic. Her nose wrinkled as she shook her head. "I've got loads of work to do and let's face it, you'd go nuts without work for too long." Harry shrugged and nodded in agreement. He loved his job. "The only problem with the short honeymoon is what to do with Teddy when we get back," she continued tentatively.

Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses. "I have a list of daycares with appointments to check them out — all this Tuesday — all magical." As much as Hermione and Harry both wanted Teddy to get to know the muggle world a bit, they couldn't do so until Teddy had better control of his magic.

Hermione nodded and marked it down on the calendar clipped to the front of her clipboard. She paused. "Oh no, I made more appointments with real estate agents that day." Harry rolled his eyes. "We're bound to find something _eventually_," she cajoled.

Harry leaned forward. "The houses are massive," he complained. "They don't care what we want they just want our money."

"If we're just more clear and concise with our specifications—"

"Hermione…" She broke off and sighed. "What about muggle realtors?"

Hermione made a face. "That could take ages. Not the showings, but the process, for sure."

"At least they won't come at us thinking we can buy a mansion," Harry argued irritably.

Hermione's mouth pinched though she didn't disagree. "Let's look at what this realtor has for us first. We can't have Teddy sleeping on the couch. He needs his own space."

He took her hand. "I agree. We'll figure something out. When are the appointments?"

"They're open houses. We can go in the morning before we head to the daycares."

Harry nodded. "Alright," his thumb rubbed soothingly against the back of her hand, "we can do this, 'Mione. If anyone in the world can do this and be happy? It's us."

:::

Hermione pursed her lips as Ron shovelled food into his mouth. As mature as he sometimes seemed to her, he was still and always would be _Ron_. It was oddly comforting. She turned back to her fish and chips and waited for him to inhale. She counted to thirty before it happened.

"How's Padma?"

"Pregnant," Ron replied shortly. He raised his eyebrows and paused. "Very pregnant. I had to go get her Honey Jalapeno Pickle ice cream at two in the morning the other day."

She scrunched her nose up in disgust. "I'm sorry, _pickle_ ice cream?"

"Pickle _jalapeno_ ice cream."

Hermione blinked as she held a chip halfway to her mouth. "I never want to be pregnant."

Ron snorted. He wiped his hands on his cloth napkin. His eyes focused on her. "So, you're getting married in a week."

"Nice segway."

"I'm nothing if not subtle."

Hermione pressed her lips together in an attempt not to smile. "No," she decided, "too easy."

Ron snorted in amusement. "Don't change the subject. How are things between you two? I've been a little busy myself and honestly, trying to stay out of the drama. I have diapers to change, I don't need to worry about anyone else's shit on top of that."

She rolled her eyes fondly. "Good move. It's been hell." She rubbed the place just above her eyebrow. Hermione had begun to notice the way her head hurt just about there whenever she started to think about 'the Ginny Problem' as she liked to privately call it.

Ron gave her a sympathetic look. "I heard Gin moved back home for a bit."

Hermione took a deep breath before she fixed Ron with a serious expression. "Harry and I are getting married… and we're not getting out it. The law isn't going to be retracted and neither of us are going to try to make it happen."

Her redheaded best friend stared at her for a long moment. He nodded slowly. "That would explain Ginny's actions recently. She hasn't been this petulant since Harry first broke up with her after Dumbledore's funeral."

That comment got a reaction out of Hermione. "She was like this then?"

"She can be pretty territorial," he supplied, giving the understatement of the century. Hermione told him so and he shrugged. "And you're leaving something out."

She looked around at the public restaurant they were in. Ron immediately got the message that it was not information for public places. "They've got… dirt on me."

Ron stilled. He leaned forward as his the tips of his ears turned red. His fingers clenched into fists. "Are you okay?"

Hermione quickly grabbed his hand. "I'm fine. I swear. But it's safer if Harry and I just… do as we're told."

He nodded slowly as he processed exactly what that meant. His eyes widened. "Blimey, so you're like… actually getting married in seven days." Hermione smiled weakly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She was not fine.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Right, now try with the truth," he scoffed.

Her weak smile returned. "I'm worried. There's a lot happening and every corner we turn there's another obstacle."

He nodded. "Do you not want to take Teddy in?"

"What? No! Of course, I do." She leaned forward earnestly. "I love that boy. He's so wonderful. If Harry couldn't take him in then _I_ would."

"So, what're you worried about?" She shifted in her seat. Ron's eyes suddenly widened. He barely refrained from gasping. "You're worried about the sex!" he shouted.

Hermione waved her hands at him and she shushed him loudly. After a frantic look around the restaurant, she gave him a dark glare.

Ron had the decency to look abashed at his exclamation. He shrugged. "Well, aren't you?"

"I'm not," she instantly denied hotly.

He raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even thought about it, have you?"

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "Have you met me? Of course, I have. I mean…" She shook her head and let out a huff of breath. "It's Harry. He's beautiful. Sharing a bed with him and not getting to _sleep_ with him is actually killing me."

Ron laughed loudly. "Of course, it is."

She sighed and stared off into the middle distance. "He's so pretty."

"Hermione…"

"We're just friends," she explained quickly, getting back on topic. "We've been just friends for ages. I'm worried moving so drastically from friends to _married_ is going to… mess us up."

"You don't want to be married?"

"No!" she exclaimed quickly. "I do. I mean… well, under different circumstances." The law and the minister's interference was certainly not the way she would have chosen to marry her best friend - or get married at all. "It's complicated."

"Definitely," Ron agreed simply.

She sighed. Her elbows rested on the table and she dropped her face into her hands. "I just wish we could do this a bit more gradually. I don't want our first… everything… to be on the day of a ministry mandated wedding."

"You two should date."

Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"Go on a date!" he repeated, this time with more excitement. "You. Harry. Candles. Probably sex because you're involved."

"Oi," she objected, not actually insulted at all.

"I'm just saying…" he chuckled, hands raised in surrender.

Hermione pursed her lips into a pout. She looked down at her plate as she thought over Ron's suggestion. It wasn't crazy. It made sense to ease them into the changes they would see in their relationship. Slowly, she explained, "Harry is taking me out tomorrow night. The minister demanded it…"

"That's a good start. Treat it like a proper date."

Hermione gave him a funny look. "I don't even know how I'd be on a date with Harry. A proper one."

Ron grinned. He shook his head. "Don't lie, 'Mione. You've been thinking about it since we were kids."

Her cheeks turned bright red. "I never had feelings for him when we were together."

"I know," he responded softly, wanting to make sure she knew he wasn't accusing her of anything. "I didn't say you did. But there's always been something special between the two of you. I tried to pretend it was familial and that's probably the only reason we got to the point of dating but…" He leaned forward and his clear blue eyes stared seriously into her brown ones. "He will always be the most important person in the world to you and you will always be the same for him. That's more than some marriages ever amount to."

Hermione's eyes widened and her gaze dropped to her hands folded neatly in her lap. She didn't respond.

"You know what I think?" Ron continued when he saw that his friend had clearly been spooked by that statement. "I think you're scared. I think you're terrified that you're about to face down the rest of your life and so you're running the same way you ran from me when I proposed and then you ran from Wood years later when he did the same."

Hermione remained quiet, her cheeks red. Ron and she, as a rule of thumb, never discussed his failed marriage proposal. No one knew about it - not even Harry. Ron's proposal had been met with a mild panic attack, a three-day drinking bender, and the eventual destruction of their brief but sweet romance. It was a cloudy day in comparison to what had happened when Oliver Wood had proposed to her two years ago.

Hermione bit her lip. She hated the way her throat seemed to close up and her eyes stung. "Why am I like this?" she whispered in question.

Ron sighed. "I don't know. But I know you're a lot more put together about it then you were when faced with Wood or myself. You ran for the hills both times someone dropped down on one knee for you before. Your only worry with Harry seems to be how it'll go when he's down on both knees for you."

Hermione laughed. "You are so crude."

"You love it."

"I do." She smiled at him and discreetly wiped away a tear. "Thank you."

Ron's smile was wide and wonderful. Her friendship with the redhead wasn't anything like with Harry, but it was just as special. Ron knew things about her that Harry had never experienced with her - not yet, at least. "Anytime, 'Mione."

She sniffled and pushed her utensils around on the table as she cleared her throat. "I think you're right. I'll make a move on the date and…" she shrugged, "...go from there."

Ron smirked. "Be sure to tell me all the details. Or tell Padma so she'll tell me."

Hermione snorted in amused. "Sure."

:::

Harry flooed through to his old flat. He paused before the pristine white fireplace when he saw Ginny. His eyes widened.

She was standing beside an open box on the hardwood floor. Her brows drew together at the sight of him and her mouth pinched into a tight line.

"Hey," Harry offered lamely. She nodded once before turning back to her box of picture frames. "I thought you'd be at practice."

"Everyone's getting married or dealing with new fiancés every other day. The season is being delayed."

Harry nodded once. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "I'll be quick. I'm just here for a few things I left behind."

"Don't bother," she snapped. "I'll be out before the end of the week." _Before the wedding_, went unspoken between them.

Harry's jaw tensed. "You don't want to keep the flat?" Ginny loved this place. She'd been in love with it the moment they'd stepped inside.

She looked over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. The air between then was as fierce as the Scottish winters they'd grown up with. "It's not mine."

Harry shrugged. "I don't want it."

Ginner rolled her eyes. "I'm more than aware."

"Keep the flat," he told her.

She spun around to him. The air crackled with unrestrained magic. "Don't tell me what to do!"

Harry raised his hands in surrender. "You love this place, Ginny," he implored softly.

She stared at him longingly. "I also love you."

Harry's heart broke for her. She saw the sadness on his face and the traces of regret, but knew nothing had changed. "Did you?" When she didn't respond, he continued, "We were a mess."

"No thanks to you," she snapped.

"Oh, please." Harry rolled his eyes. His buried annoyance with her and her actions through their relationship rose up. There were many reasons he'd been driven to drink at the thought of sleeping with Hermione and being in love with her and being scared of a crap performance on his part were only the tip of the iceberg. "You and I both know you did more than your fair share to turn this relationship into the bullshit it was. You manipulated and controlled me at every turn."

"You left me with no choice!"

"That's no excuse! You lied to me. You used my emotions against me to get me to do what you wanted."

Ginny's face burned bright red. She knew she was guilty of exactly what he was claiming. She didn't think he'd ever call her out on it though."You know what? Fuck you, Harry! I'm not the only one who screwed this up. I did pull shit on you I shouldn't have, I'll admit that, but you don't get to stand there on your high horse like you didn't as well. Don't you dare use what I did to justify your own actions." There were angry tears in her eyes and Harry knew they weren't the fake kind.

A silence followed as they stared at each other. Finally, Harry admitted, "I never slept with her."

"That's not the only way to cheat on a person," she whispered back.

Harry looked down at his shoes. He didn't argue. He knew he had no defence. He may have never done anything that could have been physically labelled as cheating, but he'd been emotionally cheating on Ginny for years. His heart had been with Hermione their entire relationship and he'd done nothing to hide it. He was just as guilty of emotionally damaging Ginny as she was of him.

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "Why did you even get back together with me? Why would you put us through this?"

"I told you I didn't want to!" he exploded, his thrown wide in gesture. "You pushed me into this relationship the same way you've pushed me into every decision since then. I may be guilty of emotional cheating, but you've been emotionally manipulating me. Let's not even touch upon everything else," his tone was dangerous and his eyes dark.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and for the first time, she actually looked contrite. "I was losing you," she explained. "I tried everything I could think of to… make you need me."

"You crossed a line," Harry responded and his eyes watered. "I don't even know where I'm supposed to go from here." He closed his eyes before his emotions overwhelmed him. Ginny had been his only experience in a loving relationship and she'd twisted it all to her advantage. He hadn't even learned about half of her lies until a few years later. By that point, he was already stuck.

Harry looked at her when he heard her sniffle. Her face was splotchy, her mascara beginning to smudge. Harry had never seen her cry like this. He'd never seen her look so real. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Then why? Why lie? Why… You told me I was your first."

"I don't know," she cried. Her shoulders shrugged meekly. "I was seventeen. I just… I wanted you. I wanted you and I wanted you to want me - only me. You didn't know anything about sex and… it was so easy to just…"

"Manipulate me?"

Ginny couldn't meet his eyes. She looked down at her shoes as she released a shaky breath. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Neither did I… neither did Hermione."

Ginny winced. "I know… I… I may have said some things to her at Ron's wedding." Harry raised his eyebrows. "She wouldn't have told you. It was horrible. I was horrible." She looked down at her shoes again. "It won't happen again. Blaise wants to take a trip before we get married. Somewhere we can try to get to know each other without… everything else." Her eyes flickered back up to him. "And every_one_."

Harry nodded slowly. "That sounds like a good idea," he offered awkwardly. "He's been good to you?"

"Better than I deserve."

Harry shook his head. "You deserve to be treated like a princess, Ginny. You deserve all the love and attention that… that I selfishly hid away from you."

She wiped harshly at the tears on her cheeks. "Will we still be friends?" she asked desperately. Her voice sounded childlike in its vulnerability.

Harry floundered for a response. He didn't think they'd been friends for a long while. Eventually, he nodded. "Maybe not right away. But… we'll always be family."

:::

"You look lovely," Harry breathed. Hermione smiled sweetly and turned on the spot for him. The dress flared as she spun. The deep blue material glittered like a starry night sky. The fabric kissed her skin, paying homage to her curves. The back of the dress dipped down low and tantalizing.

"Thank you, Luna picked it out." She wrinkled her nose. "It's not too sparkly?"

Harry shook his head, momentarily speechless as he stared at her. He tugged at his collar. "I think you look…"

"Lovely?" she teased.

He laughed. "For a lack of a better word, yes." He held out his hand to her. "Let's get this over with."

Hermione smirked as she placed her hand in his. "Don't sound too excited."

He pulled her close to his body. His arms wrapped around her waist. His fingers spread across the bare skin of her back and Harry honestly thought he'd die from the contact alone. "Well, excuse me," he replied sarcastically to cover the flush in his cheeks and the elation in his chest, "but I don't really fancy the thought of having a date for the sole purpose of being watched like zoo animals."

He tightened his hold and disapparated on the spot. Hermione gasped for breath and laughed as they landed on the street of Diagon Alley. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her chest leaned into his. "And here I was thinking the date was so you could get me into your bed?"

"Technically, it's your bed," he quipped and Hermione laughed loudly.

A camera flashed.

Hermione's amusement immediately died. Harry's arms tensed around her. "Ignore them," he whispered into her ear. "And remember to stick to safe topics." She sighed and nodded silently.

Harry stepped back and took her hand before leading her to the restaurant. It was a relatively classy place that both would normally turn their noses up at. Hermione had been surprised when Harry said he'd gotten a reservation. She'd have rather just gone to the Leaky. As they stepped up the stairs to The Greenhouse, Hermione decided to reiterate this fact.

Harry smiled and tried not to roll his eyes. He stopped her at the top step while he stood one below. With Hermione's heels, they were the same height and he stared warmly into her golden-brown gaze. "This is our last date before the big day," they both knew he meant their _first_ date, "and I wanted it to be special."

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. She sighed dramatically. "Such a romantic."

"It's wasted on you."

Hermione turned at the top of the steps and stepped through the sleek black door of the restaurant. Cameras instantly flashed as they entered and Hermione remembered why she had never attended the Greenhouse before - it was paparazzi-friendly. Harry grumbled in her ear as he closed the door behind them.

The lighting in the restaurant was low, candles flickered on each table. A violin magically played itself quietly in the back corner. Hermione thought it was all ridiculously pretentious.

"Reservation for Harry Potter," Harry claimed needlessly.

"Right this way, Healer Potter."

They were led to a small circular table in the centre of the posh restaurant. Hermione's smile was tense as the maître d' pulled out her chair for her. "How… nice."

Harry smirked at her slightly pained tone.

"I'm glad you think so, madame," the snobbish maître d' said with his nasally voice. "We have been servicing wizarding high society for well over three centuries now."

"_Impressive_," Hermione replied, her eyes wide as she turned to Harry. He coughed into his fist to hide his smile.

"Very," the maître d' agreed haughtily. He extended a menu to Harry. "Might I recommend a wine selection for tonight? We have-"

"-Just a pint of butterbeer, actually." The maître d' almost looked offended. Harry gave him a cheeky grin.

"I'll have one too," Hermione put in with a sweet smile and a bat of her lashes.

The maître d' looked heavenward before sighing heavily. He plucked the wine list from Harry's hand and walked away looking like someone had shoved their wand up his arse. Harry and Hermione immediately dissolved into giggles.

Cameras flashed.

"Did you see his face?"

"I thought he was going to have an aneurysm."

"Maybe next time."

Hermione snorted into her hand at his glib response. He smirked at her before opening up the menu. They quietly pursued the scant list of dinner options available. Harry knew she liked quiet as she decided what she wanted.

He set his menu down when he came to a decision. His arms rested on the table as he leaned forward to watch his date. Her curls had not tamed since school, but Hermione had certainly learned to manage them better. She had her hair up in an elegant twist. Her neck looked long and her shoulders fine under the cut of the thin straps.

"You're staring."

Harry smiled as his eyes flickered up to her brown ones. The candles enhanced the tones of gold and caramel in her eyes.

"Harry…" she warned.

He took her hand into both of his and smiled charmingly. Cameras flashed. "I like looking at works of art."

Hermione smiled, her eyes flashing with amusement. She leaned forward and whispered, "I just spit up in my mouth."

Harry burst into laughter. He had to cover his mouth to smother the noise. Hermione's eyes glittered in amusement. Her smile was almost sinister as she watched him try to collect himself. He wiped a tear away from his eye as his shoulders shook. "You're horrible."

Hermione smiled widely in response. "You started it."

"Can't you even play along?"

Her head tilted and he could see how much she wanted to roll her eyes. "You take the fun out of everything."

He snorted out a laugh. "That's rich coming from 'Miss. Or Worse, Expelled.'" Hermione's cheeks turned pink. She tried not to smile and failed desperately. Harry watched her in amusement.

The butterbeers floated over to their table a minute later and a waiter came to take their order. Hermione glanced around the restaurant, well aware that more than a few couples were staring. Harry settled his elbows on the table as he leaned forward, determined to distract her from the attention. "I spoke with Andy today."

Hermione's eyes instantly shot to his. "When?"

"On lunch at work. She brought Teddy. He was over the moon, jumping up and down about how he was going to live with Uncle Harry and Aunty Mione."

She smiled sympathetically. "How was Andy about that?"

"Brave. There's not much she can do. She told me she's mostly just grateful that we're both so willing to take Teddy in."

"Well, of course, we are," Hermione responded briskly. "Teddy's your godson. You're already practically his father." She took a sip of her butterbeer.

Harry eyed her for a long moment. He swallowed and said, "And you're about to become his mother… practically." Hermione stilled. Her eyes flickered up from the tablecloth to meet his own. "Are you okay with that?"

Hermione looked around the restaurant and smiled faintly. "I thought we were sticking to safe topics?" she responded under her breath.

"Hermione," he pressed.

She tilted her head as she met his gaze once again. "I love Teddy," she replied softly. "You know that. I won't lie and say it's not… overwhelming to hear how much he wants us to be his 'mummy' and 'daddy.' Because it really is. But… I think that has more to do with Tonks and Remus more than myself and any desire or lack thereof to have children at this exact moment."

Harry frowned as he thought that over. It was no secret that Hermione didn't want kids right now. But they had a few years yet before children so he wasn't really worried about that. "Tonks and Remus?"

She leaned forward and made a face as she opened her mouth. She closed it again before finally finding her words. "Is it stupid to say that I'm worried they'd be angry if Teddy called us 'mummy' and 'daddy?' I mean… they're his parents. _Were_ his parents. They died fighting for the right of their child to have a better life. I don't want to erase that."

Harry smiled at her. He reached across the table and took her hand. Neither of them noticed the cameras flashing. "Hermione. We will never replace Teddy's parents. Andy and I have pictures of the both of them and Teddy looks at them every night before bed. He knows their names and stories about them and he knows they're his parents… I'm sure he won't understand it all until he's a bit older, but he knows. Us getting married and taking him in, it won't change that. I'm still going to show him the photo album every night, and I'm still going to decorate his room with photos of his parents and the rest of his family."

Hermione's shoulders visibly relaxed at his words. "Thank you."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Any time, love." His grin widened and he added, "Who knew _I_ could be the smart, responsible one?"

She snorted and slipped her hand from his. "Okay, don't get carried away, Potter."

He laughed as she rolled her eyes. "I was right and properly wise right there," he insisted, not at all serious.

"And then it ended," she retorted quickly. "Gone," her hand waved in the air, "like it never happened. Such a beautiful moment, maybe you can ask the paparazzi for a picture so you'll never forget it."

"You say that like it'll never happen again."

Hermione raised a telling eyebrow. Harry grinned charmingly.

The rest of the dinner passed pleasantly enough. Hermione was surprised to note she had in fact forgotten the presence of the paparazzi. As she climbed up the steps to her apartment door with Harry, she hoped that the vultures had gotten enough photos.

"Well," Harry said at length, "we survived."

"Barely," Hermione teased. She turned when they reached her door and leaned back against it. "The maître d' definitely wanted to kill us."

Harry chuckled under his breath. "You ordered _muggle beer_."

"I wanted to see if he would turn purple!"

His laugh broke through and loudly filled the empty hallway. "You almost succeeded."

She shook her head at him. "If you had just let me ask about the sriracha sauce -"

"-We would have probably been thrown out," he finished. "Chosen One or not."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

Harry smiled at her as he shook his head. Her curls were springing free from the updo, some of them already coming down to touch her shoulders. Her eyes were dark and her cheeks pink. She was…

"Radiant," he told her. "You're radiant."

Hermione bit her bottom lip. Her doe eyes looked up at him beneath full, dark lashes. She let out a huff of breath and surged forward.

Harry's eyes widened and his words were muffled beneath her lips on his. His hands quickly grasped her waist and at first he thought to push her away until her tongue swept across his lip and he _realized_. Hermione Granger was kissing him.

Harry immediately pulled her flush against him. He didn't even have the presence of mind to feel bad about his forwardness. Hermione moaned and her fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of his neck just the way he liked.

He pressed Hermione back against the wood of the door. Hermione raised her leg to hook around his calf. Harry wrapped a hand around her thigh and hiked her leg over his hip. Her breath caught. Her mouth opened a bit as she gasped. Harry's tongue slipped between her parted lips, sly and confident.

Hermione moaned again.

His lips broke from hers. He kissed his way across her jaw and down her neck. Hermione wriggled and shifted in his grasp as he licked and nibbled at the soft skin of her neck. His fingers tightened around her thigh.

Hermione's head fell back against the door. She grasped his arm for support, feeling wobbly with only one high heel to stand on. Her other hand remained tangled in Harry's wild hair. Merlin, it was soft.

"_Harry_," she whined breathlessly.

Harry immediately stilled. He jumped back a foot and put as much distance between them as he could without falling down the stairs. Hermione stumbled and had to grab the archway of the door to stop herself from collapsing.

"Harry?"

"Shit," he cursed. He ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up even worse than usual. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?"

"I - I shouldn't have…" His face turned red and he looked slightly tortured. Breathless and more than a little confused, Hermione didn't even know how to respond. "I need to go."

"Go?"

"I… yes." He turned and Hermione only managed to call his name before he was dashing down the stairs and disappeared.

She fell back against the door, eyes wide, breathless and ridiculously turned on. Hermione shook her head. "What the hell just happened?"

:::

Hermione stood at the edge of the massive property in her shorts and runners. She tapped her fingers against her crossed arms as the minutes ticked by. It was ridiculously hot and she had been waiting for what felt like ages.

Groaning, Hermione swept a hand across the back of her neck. It was slick with sweat. Her fingers lingered on the dark bruise at the crook of her neck. A tingle ran down her spine as she thought about Harry's lips on her, his hand on the skin of her thigh. Hermione hadn't got a wink of sleep last night. Thoughts of what _could_ have happened had plagued her relentlessly. She needed new batteries for her vibrator and it was all Harry's fault.

A _pop_ sounded behind her and she spun around to find Harry had finally arrived. She raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. "You're late."

He winced. "Sorry."

She stared at him steadily. "We'll discuss it later, come on."

Harry sighed and followed her up the long drive to the tall manor. He kept his hands in his pockets and his head down. His entire aura radiated shame and upset. Hermione pursed her lips, determined to ignore whatever issue Harry was having because of what happened last night. It was a bloody _kiss_.

It was a bloody _good_ kiss. What was he so ashamed about?

"Are there lots of other people here?" he asked, tentatively.

Hermione drew in a deep breath and decided to let her annoyance go for the moment. "Yes," she finally supplied once she thought she could manage it without snapping, "a few at least."

Harry looked around at the massive property. There were endless pastures of neatly trimmed grass all around. "We'd never be able to handle upkeep on this."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Not without a house elf, at least," she agreed.

"The place is less posh, though," he admitted reluctantly. The manor was Tudor style with white walls and dark wood beams. They stopped at the front step and simultaneously looked up, up, up. "But still massive," Harry sighed.

They stepped through the open front door and into the massive foyer. The beans that structured and supported the home could be seen from within as well. The walls were all beautifully painted a soft off white colour. It was tastefully decorated in modern and classy furniture.

Harry raised an unimpressed brow. "Teddy would turn these walls into his very own painting canvas."

Hermione laughed despite herself. Teddy did have a tendency to paint on the walls, floor, and once on Andy's bed comforter. "Come on," she nodded towards the stairwell. "How many times do you think we'll find the master suite this time?"

Harry nodded decisively, "Six." Hermione snorted. They smiled falsely at the other couples they encountered as they made their way through the house. "The realtor you talked with suggested this property?"

Hermione grimaced at his tone. "I tried, honestly I did."

"Can we please throw in the towel and go to a muggle realtor?"

They stopped inside a bedroom done up in an eggshell blue. Hermione sighed audibly. "I want a place for Teddy when he moves in."

He shrugged. "We want property and privacy. In magical terms, we want an estate."

"The Weasley's don't have an estate!" Hermione automatically protested.

"Don't they? They may not have a manor, but they've got property big enough for one." Before Hermione could respond, Harry quickly added, "And short of buying an empty plot of land and _building_ our own house… it's just not going to happen. Not in the magical world at… what is that?"

Hermione turned from the view out the window and to her best friend. She raised an eyebrow. "What's what?"

"That?" Harry pointed at her neck.

Hermione raised a hand and touched the dark bruise. She gave him a look. "As if you don't know."

Harry's brows drew together. He looked confused and frustrated. "Why haven't you gotten rid of it?" he questioned harshly.

Hermione blinked owlishly. Slowly, she asked, "Do you want me to?"

"No! Yes!" He shook his head. "That's not the point."

"What's the point?" Clearly, she was missing it.

"Aren't you upset?" he asked instead of answering.

Hermione slowly shook her head, still trying to puzzle out what in the world was wrong with her best friend. "Why would I be upset?" She shrugged.

"It's not okay," he admitted earnestly. "I - I _marked_ you."

His voice sounded so horrified that Hermione knew she couldn't laugh. _Marked_? "It's a hickey, Harry. I enjoyed it." The distinct set of his jaw finally clicked in Hermione's mind. He thought he had done something wrong. That realization didn't exactly absolve Hermione of her perturbation. "You haven't done anything wrong," she insisted.

Harry didn't respond. His eyes bored into the curve of her neck. Hermione's hickey felt like a flaming neon sign. "Harry…" she started.

"Nevermind," Harry dismissed quickly. He turned to leave.

"I think we need to talk about this," Hermione protested, hot on his heels.

"Frankly, Hermione," he replied flatly, without turning around, "I don't want to."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. She whipped her wand out and the door slammed shut. She warded it before Harry could blink. He stopped and turned on his heel to glare at her. She smirked triumphantly back.

"Hermione…" he warned.

"Didn't you and Ginny have sex?" she asked abruptly.

Harry's eyes shot wide. "Hermione!"

She continued on as if he hadn't spoken."Because hickeys aren't exactly risque. It's just snogging and light petting."

Harry's face was bright red. "I get it, Hermione," he ground out between clenched teeth.

Hermione fought hard not to smile. "Why are you so upset?"

"Because I don't know how to do this!" Harry exploded. Hermione stilled, not having expected the outburst. "I have no fucking idea how to do any of that around you! I don't like people touching me," he ranted as he paced, "and no one ever tries to much really. Only you." He paused when he came to that realization. He turned to her. "You're… you're the only person I've ever been comfortable with physically and…" He gestured, at a loss for words.

Hermione didn't pretend to understand. She wasn't entirely sure how they had gotten here from 'hickey' and 'marked you,' but she was willing to try and figure it out. "But you had sex with Ginny," she insisted. His reticence to confirm before suddenly had her on edge.

"Not often," he admitted quietly.

She blinked. "I don't understand." And she didn't. Sex was a healthy part of every relationship. For Hermione, it was a _big_ part of the relationship. Even in her less serious relationships, sex had been frequent and important.

He shrugged. "She was… distant. A lot. When we did have sex it was… pretty much the only time I ever got any sort of closeness with her, which in hindsight was probably a bit deliberate on her part. She can be a bit manipulative." Harry winced and ran a hand through his hair. His cheeks were pink and she was absolutely positive that Harry had not meant to reveal all that he had.

Hermione's hands curled into fists. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. In through her nose and out through her mouth. She did it again. "_A bit_?" she seethed. The deep breaths had not helped. "_A bit manipulative?_ Harry, you just admitted to me the woman you almost married was at one point withholding physical touch from you so you'd be more dependent when she _did_ give it to you and you call that _a bit manipulative_?" Her eyes widened and she gestured aggressively as she shouted, "That's fucking psychotic!"

"Hermione…" he placated weakly.

Hermione spun away from him and began pacing. Suddenly, it all made a lot of sense to her. Harry was always physically affectionate with her. There were times when she'd thought they'd crossed a line or two. But he'd never done anything truly inappropriate and neither of them had said anything and… she was the only one he was getting physical affection from. Besides family hugs at the Burrow and cuddling with Teddy… Hermione was it. "I'm going to kill her." Harry groaned. "How dare she?"

"It's not a big deal."

She whirled around and shot him a death glare. "Not a big deal? You freaked out that you'd possibly given me a hickey. What did she say to you to make you think that was a bad thing?" What else had she told him? "It's not bad! It's perfectly natural. It's natural and okay to want to hold someone and be held in return."

"I know that!" Harry shouted.

"But you don't know how to ask for it…" Hermione realized. "…to go about getting it. How would you? Ginny is your only experience in sex and she…" She shook her head. She couldn't say it. Harry would likely not respond well if Hermione did. "I… we're leaving." Hermione waved her wand and the wards fell. She stormed past him.

"Leaving?" Harry turned and followed her. "But the house?"

"Fuck the house!" she shouted as a couple passed by them. Hermione didn't stop. Harry apologized and raced after her. "We weren't going to bloody get it anyway. Come on."

He looked around as they made it out the front door. "Where are we going?"

"Home." The second they passed the property line, Hermione grabbed his hand and disapparated.

Harry shook his head when they landed in her living room. He didn't have time to regain his footing before Hermione pushed him onto the couch. "Oi!" He gave her a dark glare that was immediately wiped away when Hermione took off her shirt. His eyes widened. "Hermione!"

She slipped a knee on the couch and plopped down on his lap. Her hands fell to his shoulders and she pushed him back when he tried to get up. "Stay," she instructed.

Harry blinked quickly and looked away from her chest. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to have a discussion."

He rubbed his brow. "Can't clothes be involved?" She was just wearing a skimpy little lace bra that was far more see through than it ought to have been. It couldn't have provided much support. He almost opened his mouth to ask when he remembered how completely inappropriate that would be.

"What's wrong?"

He rolled his eyes. "Besides the fact that you're not wearing a shirt?"

"Harry," she whispered softly and the sound of it clawed at Harry's heart, "please talk to me."

He let out a huff of breath and reluctantly revealed, "Ginny hated it when I left hickeys on her."

Hermione's head tilted. "And you thought I would too?"

He shrugged and looked down. He focused on the tanned, smooth skin of her abdomen. "She left me with the impression that no girl wanted a brand on her like he owned her or something."

"Okay, putting Ginny's twisted and hypocritical opinions aside - you freaked out." Harry focused on a dark beauty mark on the left side of Hermione's ribcage. Only an inch below was the puckered and waxy line of her scar from the Department of Mysteries. "You know I'd never get angry at you for something as simple as a hickey. Honestly, I - I enjoyed it," she revealed with a faint blush.

Harry did _not_ notice the way the blush flushed down her her neck to the tops of her breasts. "You did?"

Hermione made a face. "You couldn't tell?"

Harry's thumbs rubbed slow circles onto her inner thighs. He was clearly lost in thought and Hermione tried desperately not to shift on his lap. Merlin, he really needed to stop doing that. "I've never slept with anyone else besides Ginny. I'm not entirely sure how to go about this. I know with Ginny, you know? I know what's allowed and not allowed."

Allowed? Hermione's mind reeled at the implications of that word alone. She decided to ignore it for the time being. Now was too soon to get into the mess that was Harry's relationship with Ginny.

"That's what communication is for," Hermione said instead. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just kissed you last night. We need to talk about this first. I blame you, you're too charming and pretty to look at."

"Pretty," he huffed disbelieving.

Hermione hummed and smiled. "I really want to sit on your face."

He choked out a laugh and exclaimed, "Hermione!"

"It's true," she insisted. "Honesty is important."

"A little less honesty, please."

She smiled at him. "You don't really mean that." He didn't agree but he certainly didn't disagree and that was more telling than anything at all. "Did you never take charge before?" Harry looked down at that beauty mark again. It was safer than responding. "She didn't like that, did she?"

He looked tortured for a moment, grasping for words to explain. "I don't want to force you into a sexual situation when you're not in the mood."

"Okay, first off, I was certainly in the mood. I was ready to rip your clothes off and have my wicked way with you out there in the bloody hallway." He blushed bright red and Hermione pretended not to notice him shift beneath her as another part of his body reacted to her words. She smiled but didn't comment, for which Harry was silently grateful. "Secondly," she continued more softly, "there's a difference between taking charge and acting without consent, okay?"

"I know that," he responded weakly. And she believed that on some level he did. He was a healer after all. He knew more about the clinical aspects of sex and the human body than the average person. But knowing something and having the confidence to put it into practice were two very different things.

She wanted to tell him Ginny was horrible and terrible and all wrong. She wanted to say that the manipulative bitch had been using him and moulding him to be dependent on her so he wouldn't ever leave. She wanted to tell him that sex was freeing and fun and he should just let _go_. But those were things she knew he wouldn't truly believe until he experienced it himself. Hermione knew Harry better than anyone in the world and she knew what he really needed to hear.

"You have my consent, Harry," she quietly told him. "You can kiss me. You can leave hickeys on me. If I don't want you to do something, I will tell you. But I expect the same in return. If you don't want to have sex, you need to tell me, okay? I don't want to hurt you, just as much as you don't want to hurt me."

Harry's brows drew together. His eyes flickered up to meet hers. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied without a breath of hesitation. "Which is why I think we need to have sex before the wedding."

Harry's mind stuttered to halt. He blinked rapidly. "_What_?"

"That day is going to hectic enough," she reasoned with a little shrug. "I don't want the added pressure of you freaking out about how sex is going to work between us."

He hated to admit it, but she was right. His fingers tightened around her thighs as he took in a long, deep breath. He opened his eyes again. "When?"

"That's up to you."

"What?" he reiterated. She really needed to stop throwing him these curve balls. His heart couldn't take much more.

"I'll follow your lead."

"Hermione…"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't sound so upset. I've literally just given you a free 'sex anytime you want' card and you look like I just kicked your puppy. Harry, calm down."

"What if you don't _want_ to have sex?"

"I always - literally always - want to have sex."

Harry laughed despite himself.

"Now… if you're _up_ for it," he rolled his eyes at the terrible innuendo, "what do you say about making this hickey feel a bit less lonely?"

Harry's eyes went wide. His breath shallowed. "… Okay."

She didn't move. Her golden-brown eyes stared unwaveringly into his green ones. She was waiting for him to make the first move. She expected - no, she hoped he would take charge. The difference was very important to Harry, he realized. Expectation versus hope - it was want.

Harry leaned closer. He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. He wanted to kiss her so badly. His entire body was hot. His magic surrounded both of them a cocoon of warmth and power.

He didn't close the distance. He sat there, on the precipice of everything he'd ever wanted and realized he couldn't take it. It was crushing. Harry wanted to kiss her. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Hermione right there and then. But the pain and fear in his heart were too great.

Hermione stroked her thumb across his bottom lip and whispered, "Do you… do you remember fifth year?"

Harry blushed as well. "I thought you'd forgotten… you know… too much firewhiskey."

"Oh, there was definitely too much firewhiskey…" They both laughed at that. "But I didn't forget. It was… the firelight and the mistletoe. Harry… it was little school girl Hermione Granger's dream come true." Her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck and her lips brushed against his own. Harry's breath caught. His eyes were completely captivated by her every move. "Kissing you last night…" She looked up from beneath her lashes. "You're just as good at it as I remembered."

Harry swallowed audibly.

Breathlessly, Hermione whispered, "Please…?"

And that was it. Hermione's lips were as soft as flower petals. He wound a hand into her pinned up hair and pulled it free. The curls fell down around them in a waterfall of chocolate tones. Her scent of tulips was overpowering.

The kiss was intense but chaste. Hermione didn't push to deepen the it at all. Harry tangled his fingers in her curls. In an act of what he felt was Gryffindor bravery, he traced his tongue along the seam of her lips. Hermione immediately and eagerly parted her lips.

She moaned as he explored her mouth. Harry couldn't catch his breath. His heart was going so fast he was fairly positive it was about to stop at any moment. His hand gripped her hip tightly. Hermione's arms wound around his neck and she shifted against his lap.

Harry groaned at the friction. He ground his hips up against her. Hermione broke the kiss with a gasp. Her eyes fell shut as Harry laved attention on her neck like the night before. A slow, steady rhythm worked up between the two of them. Harry savoured every last one of Hermione's soft, breathy moans.

His hand curled around the curve of her arse and pushed her down on an upwards thrust.

"Harry," she gasped. And this time, the sound of his own name didn't freak him out. Harry licked and bit his way along her collarbone and to the tops of her breasts. Her bra strap slipped from her shoulder. The lacey fabric of her bra gaped and Harry immediately attacked the exposed skin.

Hermione's fingers gripped Harry's shoulders. Her chest heaved and she squeezed her eyes shut. Merlin, she needed more. He was killing her, slowly killing her in the best way possible. Harry's fingers trailed up her spine. He fingered the clasp of her bra and Hermione's breath stuttered.

A phone rang.

Hermione gasped and pulled back. Harry's eyes widened. Their eyes met as they both stilled. The phone rang again.

Hermione jumped off of Harry and raced to the phone mounted on the wall in the kitchen. "Hello?" she answered, breathless and red in the face.

Harry took off his glasses. He rubbed a hand across his face and tried to calm his racing heart.

"What? No, I'm fine. Grams," Hermione scolded the name. She fixed the strap of her bra and glanced at Harry. Her face was still bright red. "Yes, Harry is here." Her eyes widened. "Grams!"

Harry turned and raised his eyebrows at her. He slipped his glasses back on.

Hermione leaned her forehead against the wall. She looked miserable and horribly embarrassed. "Lunch?" Her eyes widened and she shot up straight. "No, we have plans." She rolled her eyes. "Not _that_ kind of plans. Grams, I will hex you." She covered the mouth of the phone and asked him, "What time is it?"

Harry checked his watch. "Nearly noon."

Hermione sighed in relief. "No, Grams. We have a few appointments. Would you still be in London for dinner?" She raised an eyebrow at Harry. He nodded his agreement. "Okay, wonderful. We'll see you then." Her eyes shot wide. "Grams!" Hermione groaned and hung up the phone.

"Dare I ask?"

She sighed and slipped onto the couch beside him. Her arm rested along the back of the couch and her knee pressed against his thigh. "She asked if we were having sex." Harry couldn't stop the boyish chuckle that erupted from him then, even if he wanted. She smacked his arm. "It's not funny."

"Considering…" he dragged out the word and looked at her significantly. "I think it's rather hilarious."

She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, keep laughing. I'll leave you to field the numerous questions on when we'll be expecting."

"Expecting?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows and looked at him pointedly.

His eyes widened when it finally clicked. "Ah…"

"Yes."

He scratched his ear. "Do we have to-"

"-Yes."

He nodded. "Put your clothes on, we have to go to the daycares in a bit."

Hermione stood and grabbed her t-shirt from where she'd tossed it onto the floor earlier. "About earlier."

"Regretting it already?" he questioned in a self-deprecating manner. He got to his feet, his eyes on the floor.

"Wondering how long I'll have to wait before you'll kiss me again."

Harry looked up. She smiled sweetly. Slowly, Harry took a step forward. He gently cupped her jaw. He stared into her eyes for a long moment before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. She clutched at his shirt and pulled him closer when he moved to break the kiss.

Harry chuckled lowly and allowed the kiss for a moment longer before stepping back. "Clothes. On."

Hermione pouted.

Harry shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "Don't," he warned. "Shirt. Now." She sighed and did as she was told. He was fairly positive she muttered something along the lines of 'no fun' while she did.

Harry wrapped her in his arms as he prepared to disapparate. He paused. Hermione looked up at him expectantly. "Thank you," he whispered. "I've been worried about this… but I didn't really know how to talk about it. Neville tried to help but… you know what I'm saying even when I'm not saying anything at all."

Hermione stretched up onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his chin. "Well, as amazing as I am… can I put in a request for you to use more words because this understanding silent communication thing is fairly tiring."

Harry chuckled under his breath. He nodded. "I'll take it under consideration."

She smiled brightly. "Let's go."

:::

The daycares were all big, colourful, and filled with magical children of all ages. Harry and Hermione were given private tours of each facility, looking in on all the play rooms, the napping area, and even the kitchens.

"This one," Hermione claimed the moment she realized that the house elves in the kitchen received pay.

"They're getting paid with candy," Harry argued with an amused roll of his eyes.

Hermione shrugged. "That's what the house elves requested to have as payment through the new House Elf Welfare and Careness Bill. And this place is actually following those laws. They look happy and healthy and like they're being treated very well."

"Yes, but as we're sending our _child_ here, how about we think about that?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "All the places look the same. I will admit, the second place had more books on offer."

Harry nodded. "We'll donate a library." She narrowed her eyes at him as she tried to figure out if that was sarcasm or a genuine offer. Harry had a tendency to be a bit extravagant with money. "Although," he continued and guided her over to a window that looked into a room filled with cribs, "I will admit this is why I like it best."

"The nursery?"

He shrugged and gave a nod. "The law asks for a kid in the next five years. Teddy will still be out of school even if we wait until the fifth year."

"Which we will," Hermione cut in.

"No arguments here," Harry agreed. "But it'd be nice to have the both of them at the same place."

"You don't think Teddy will be able to go to muggle school by that time?" The magical world didn't provide schooling for children under 11. The expectation was that a parent - the mother - would look after and teach the child their basics. Both Harry and Hermione agreed that they wouldn't ask the other to take unnecessary time off. Both had gone to muggle schools and knew they wanted to send their children there as well. The only problem was that Teddy didn't have a handle on his metamorphmagus abilities yet.

"I don't know. Everyone learns at a different rate. Besides, if he can't, they do teach basic numbers and alphabet here. That'll tie us over until we figure out a solution if he can't keep a handle on it."

Hermione nodded. "Alright… that's a good plan. Okay. This place it is," she agreed with a bright smile.

Harry wrapped an arm around her waist. "Perfect. Well, at least we have something figured out."

"About as much as we always did when we're about to head into a crazy situation," Hermione quipped. "We even have a crazy person in a government position trying to manipulate our lives."

Harry smiled at the babies in their cribs as they cooed and cried. "How can you think about evil government plots and make not so subtle references to Professor Dumbledore while there are adorable little babies to look at?" He raised a finger and waved as he made a silly face.

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled fondly. A thought occurred to her rather suddenly and her cheeks turned pink. She turned to face him fully and crossed her arms. "Babies." Harry looked at her sidelong. "We need to… prevent them."

His eyes widened. "Right."

"So… I'm not on anything right now." Harry raised his eyebrows. "I just take a contraception potion the day of or ask my partner to use the spell and…" She paused as Harry's eyes grew wide and his cheeks went pink as well. "So, you can do the spell…" When Harry didn't say anything, she continued. "Or, it's expensive, but I can go on the monthly potion and…"

"No. That's fine. That works."

"Yeah?"

"If you're okay with it."

She nodded quickly. They both turned back to the nursery and let out a long breath. It amused Hermione how a conversation on contraception had been infinitely more embarrassing than the one they'd had about sex. Leave it to her and Harry to be absolutely awkward about the simpler things in life.

* * *

_I'm very on the fence about the revelations of Harry and Ginny's relationship in this one. It was never planned. When I was writing the story, it sort of just came out and I ran with it. If it annoys you, breathe easily that it won't be overtly talked about again. Maybe small references. For the most part, it's supposed to explain why Harry never left Ginny. It also shows some of those leftover effects of having his entire life manipulated by others. It's something he's used to (unfortunately). When something is familiar, it's hard to walk away, even when you know that thing is bad for you - and that's coming from someone with experience in emotionally abusive relationships. You really do always expect it to get better. And it's not until you've had real distance that you finally see all the horrible things that have been going on._

_Anyways, I do hope you enjoyed it. One more chapter and then it's the wedding! xx_


	8. viii

.viii.

"How could I be so stupid!" Hermione raged as she stormed down the muggle street. Harry raced beside her and passed apologetic expressions to those she nearly ran into. "I am quite possibly the stupidest person in the world."

"Don't be silly, 'Mione."

Hermione immediately came to a stop. Harry skidded to a halt and nearly fell over. "A wedding dress, Harry. We're getting married in five days. I don't have a wedding dress!" She threw her arms wide and nearly smacked a man in the face.

Harry grabbed her wrists and pulled her close. "It's going to be fine."

"Fine?" She leaned closer. Her eyes were wide and her curls had turned even wilder than usual. She looked half mad. "Five days, Harry! Five! That's not fine."

Her frantic energy didn't even phase him. Nothing really phased him after having seen the state she was in leading up to their NEWT exams. "We're almost at the wedding boutique that Luna's friend recommended. She said they sell the dresses off the rack. That's all we need. Molly has promised to alter it for you." He looked around and stepped closer. "With magic," he whispered, "she'll have it done in less than a day."

"But what if I don't find something," she wailed.

Harry pulled her into his arms. "You will."

Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. Her nose pressed into his sternum "What if it's hideous?" she mumbled into his shirt.

He shook with silent laughter. "Then you'd make it look beautiful."

She rolled her eyes and pulled back. "Shut up."

"It's true," he protested as he refused to let go of her. "You're stunning. And honestly, you could wear my jersey to the wedding and I'd be happy. Actually, I rather like the idea of you wearing my name on your back when we say our vows." He nodded with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Really drive the point home, ya know?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Dream on, Potter."

Harry smirked and leaned forward. For a moment, Hermione's breath caught as she thought he might kiss her. His lips touched the tip of her nose and the curly haired witch tried to conceal her disappointment. He'd yet to kiss her since everything that had happened the other day. She'd been waiting for it and although he'd been more intimate, it'd all been very family friendly.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

No, she thought with an infinite amount of sexual frustration. "Thanks," she whispered with a little smile. Her eyes lingered on his lips. Harry drew in a shaky breath before slowly releasing her.

"We should go. Luna's probably waiting for us already." He took her hand and led her the rest of the way to the wedding boutique.

It was a small shop with carpeted flooring and soft pink walls. Luna was waiting for them in a white chair. She had a bridal magazine in her hands that she was reading upside down. The blonde looked up at them through her funky sunglasses and smiled brightly.

"Hello!" She jumped to her feet and clutched the magazine to her chest. "You're here. Just in time too." She raised an eyebrow in a slightly scolding manner, if Luna could ever be perceived as such. "We have an appointment, you know."

"It's Hermione's fault."

Hermione wrinkled her nose at Harry. She turned back to their best friend. "I have no idea where to start."

"Sparkles!" Luna immediately exclaimed.

Hermione gave a single nod. "I stand corrected. I know I don't want that." Harry laughed at Luna's exaggerated pout. Hermione went to the sales girl and checked in for their appointment. The three were shown a change room for themselves and given free reign to look through the dresses. The girl gave a nod and a smile and told them to let her know if they needed anything. She then dashed off to help another girl trying on a poofy white dress.

Hermione turned and shrugged at the both of them. "Alright, let's do this. Luna, you still need a maid of honour dress as well, so maybe we can start there."

"Oh, I was thinking -"

"- Nothing I haven't seen and approved of." Hermione whirled around and quickly became lost in a sea of dresses.

Luna turned to Harry. "She needs to destress."

He gave her a slightly confused look. "How is that my problem?" Luna raised an eyebrow pointedly and followed after her best friend. Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes. He followed after the two witches, knowing they'd protest if he didn't participate.

It was quicker to find them a dress for Luna than Hermione thought it'd be, but that was mostly because once Luna found her dress she refused to take it off.

"I'll wear it out of the store. I don't think I'll ever take it off." She paused and her head tilted. "Until I get home, Rolf and I rarely wear clothes."

Harry's face turned a furious shade of red. He looked to Hermione, his eyes wide.

Hermione covered her mouth. She nodded once. "You're going to give Harry an aneurysm."

Luna blinked. "Is that like when you've got too many Wrackspurts?"

"Yes, exactly."

The blonde turned wide, blue eyes on Harry. "Sex is a great cure for that." Harry groaned and collapsed into his chair. He dropped his face into his hands.

Hermione smiled at Luna happily. "I've never believed in Wrackspurts more." The two girls shared a smirk before Hermione shook her head. "Okay, now seriously, take off the dress. Let's find me something next."

Luna looked down and swished her flowy, floor length skirt. "Something with flowers as well?" Luna had set her heart on a soft pink dress with tulle overlay. Stitched into the fabric were numerous, colourful flowers. It wasn't sparkly, but Luna was still holding out hope for Hermione to wear something bedazzled.

Hermione made a face. "Probably not."

Luna sighed and entered the changeroom to get back into her striped skirt and sparkly top. Hermione turned to her finacé and pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Deep breaths," she instructed with a touch of dry humour.

Harry groaned. "I really didn't need to hear that."

She bit back a grin. "Just wait until she's pregnant and there's _proof_."

Another pained groan.

"Are you torturing him again?" Luna asked as she stepped out of the changeroom. Hermione nodded with a bright smile. Luna nodded. "Well, that's good. Let's continue with a sexy wedding dress."

Harry looked up with a frown. "They don't make those." Luna wriggled her eyebrows and skipped away to a wrack of white dresses. He turned to Hermione. "Do they make those?"

Hermione laughed. She took his hand and tugged him to his feet again. "Come on. Maybe I'll try on of the sexy ones on for you."

"They don't make those," he protested again.

Hermione picked out the bulk of the dresses. She vetoed everything Harry chose and reluctantly allowed herself to try on a flowery, sparkly gown for Luna.

"It's lovely," Harry immediately said.

"I'm not getting it!" she shouted as she stormed back into the changeroom. Luna rolled her eyes and hummed happily from her seat.

The next dress was worn with a vindictive smirk. It was low cut and tight all over. The bodice had pearls and jewels across her breasts that had been pushed up enticingly. Harry nearly swallowed his tongue.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"Guh…"

Luna smiled at Harry as he stared, his mouth open. "I don't think he likes it." She turned back to Hermione. "But I think he might like to help you out of it." The witches burst into laughter.

"Why am I even here?" Harry lamented loudly.

Hermione stifled her snickers. "Because - because you're my very best friend. I couldn't make a decision like this without you." Harry smiled lovingly at her. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to torture you at the same time."

He shook his head at her, still smiling, as she ducked back into the changeroom. Luna nudged her shoulder against his. "Will you sleep with her tonight?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Luna!" The witch smiled innocently. He eyed her, wondering if Hermione had talked to her about everything. After a moment, he decided not and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"She's been throwing herself at you," Luna explained and Harry couldn't argue.

Since his conversation with her after their date, she'd turned the flirting up to a whole new level. She'd apparently forgotten what trousers were when wearing his quidditch jerseys. She was trying to drive him mad and it was definitely working.

He wasn't sure if Hermione had confided in Luna, but he was inclined to believe that Luna simply knew what was going on. The little blonde had a way of simply _knowing_.

"I figured your date set off some sparks," Luna continued. "Did you like the dress?"

Harry nodded. "She looked breathtaking." He looked down at his hands.

Luna slipped her arm around his and leaned into his side. "Are you waiting for something?"

He sighed. "I really don't want to talk about this."

"She's still Hermione," Luna continued as if he hadn't said anything at all. "She'll still be Hermione after you two have sex. Actually, she'll be more herself. You'll know her more fully. It's a very intimate experience to make love to someone you're already close with. I didn't experience it until I was with Rolf. I prefer to sleep with acquaintances, a few strangers."

He turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "Are you finished? Actually, don't answer that - you're finished." He looked toward the changeroom again, signifying the end of the discussion. Luna leaned her head against his shoulder. "_Strangers_," he whispered as he shook his head. Merlin, his heart couldn't take anymore.

Hermione stepped out of the changeroom in a big, ballroom style gown. The dress had off the shoulder straps and a pristine, white material. "I like the modernity of this one, but the skirts are a bit heavy."

"I love it," Harry declared. "You look like a princess."

Hermione blushed and smiled at him from beneath her lashes. "I want to be able to dance at the wedding. We'll both be tripping over these skirts." She attempted to lift the skirts and gave up after they rose an inch. She dropped them and huffed. "I feel like I weigh a million pounds."

Harry laughed. "Alright, next one, then."

"Sparkles!" Luna shouted as Hermione disappeared again.

"No!"

Harry shot Luna a look. "She's going to hex you."

"We're surrounded by muggles."

"She'll find a way."

The next dress was less heavy, but Hermione didn't like the whimsy look of the tulle skirts. "It's too much like Luna's dress."

"There aren't any flowers," the blonde protested.

"This is pointless," Hermione whined. "I hate this. Why is this so hard?"

Luna cocked her head to the side. Her eyes widened sadly and she stood before disappearing into the stacks of dresses. Harry glanced towards where Luna had gone off and decided to deal with the near hysterical bride first.

"It's going to be okay," he told her as he rose to his feet.

"You keep saying that," she whispered sadly.

"Hey," he wrapped his arms around her waist, "look at me. What's wrong?"

Hermione's eyes teared and she looked away. "I wish my mum were here." Harry closed his eyes. Of course, he should have guessed that.

"We should have called Grams."

Hermione shook her head. "She wouldn't have been able to make it downtown in time. And she hates this sort of thing." She wiped at her cheeks. "Mum had this beautiful white dress. Simple and elegant. And this veil." Her eyes met his emerald green ones sadly. "This long, cathedral veil with lace along the edges."

"Why don't you wear your mother's dress?" he immediately asked. That was something girls did, wasn't it?

"She sold it," Hermione explained tearfully. "They needed money after the wedding. They were still in school and broke and they sold it all off." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I've just seen it in pictures."

Harry sighed sadly and pulled the witch into his chest. He rested her head on his shoulder and gently stroked his fingers through her curls. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Hermione sank into his embrace with a sigh.

"Try this one," Luna interrupted.

Harry and Hermione pulled apart. The younger witch was holding up a long, white dress. Hermione smiled at Luna gratefully and took the dress. She disappeared back into the changeroom again.

She slipped the dress she was wearing off and hung it up with the many others they'd already tried. The dress Luna had picked was decidedly different from what Hermione was expecting. It was a pure white colour, no shades of cream like a few of the others she had disliked. The neckline stretched across her collarbones, teasing at her shoulders before the dress elegantly dipped down her back. The fabric gathered at the base of her spine, hiding the beginning of a row of cloth covered buttons that made their way down her rear.

Hermione turned and eyed the way the fabric moved around her legs and feet. It was long, modern, and elegant. The dress almost felt casual in comparison to the other ones she'd tried on that day. She rather loved it. She felt sophisticated and romantic. She wasn't a romantic, but no one but Harry needed to know that on her wedding day.

She smoothed her hands down the front of the dress and smiled. This might just be the one.

When she stepped out of the changeroom, Luna smiled brightly. Harry turned and his eyes widened. His mouth dropped open.

Hermione bit her lip. "Thoughts?"

He blinked. Her question finally seemed to register and he moved. Harry was in front of her in two long strides. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her. Hermione's fingers curled around his wrists. Her eyes fluttered shut.

He pressed his chest against her own. His tongue swept across the seam of her lips. Hermione eagerly opened her mouth as Harry angled her head back to deepen the kiss. Her chest swelled and her body flooded with heat. It was startling the way everything just fell away when he kissed her. He pulled back a moment later. Hermione followed his lips, unwilling to let him go so soon.

He smiled down at her. His fingers still tenderly cupped her face. "You're so perfect."

"So, you hate it?"

He shook his head and chuckled quietly. "Never take it off. Just wear it everyday."

Hermione smiled widely. "Will you kiss me like that everyday if I do?"

His eyes flickered across her face. Her freckles, her lips, her big brown eyes. "Do you want me to?"

"I do."

He smoothed his thumb across her bottom lip. "I think I can manage that."

:::

Harry did not sleep with her when they got home. They dropped the dress off with Molly to alter and thanked her profusely for all her help. By the time they got home, Harry was begging off to get some work done at the hospital before the wedding.

He'd kissed her sweetly and then dashed through the floo before she could protest. Hermione tried not to pout. She turned to Luna who was searching under the couch for Hermione's ever elusive cat.

"He's killing me," she complained as she shuffled around the kitchen and made them tea.

"He's nervous."

"I know." She did pout then.

Luna huffed and sat back on her heels. Her curly blonde hair was in a scattered disarray. "That doesn't mean you can't give him a little push."

Hermione sighed. "I'm already flirting more. I'm touching him almost constantly. We cuddled last night before bed."

Luna pulled up a seat at the breakfast bar. "But you did that before." Hermione frowned as she thought about that. They did tend to touch fairly often, something she'd recently put on Ginny's lack of intimacy with him in their relationship. "You need to do something _new_."

The curly haired witch eyed her friend suspiciously. "Like what?"

Luna smiled mischievously. She slipped off her seat and went to the bedroom. Hermione followed curiously. Luna opened the drawers of Hermione's dresser. When Harry had moved in several weeks ago he had taken over some of the drawers for himself.

Luna picked around until she found what she was looking for. She smirked and held up the lacy teddy for her friend to see. Hermione's eyes widened. "That's a bit aggressive, don't you think?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. How long has it been since you've had sex?"

Hermione crossed her arms and shifted on her feet.

Luna raised her eyebrows at Hermione's telling silence. "I've had sex three times today."

"Three? _Today_?"

Luna shrugged simply. "I have a very healthy sex drive."

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "I miss our chats."

The younger witch nodded as she laid the pink lace teddy on the bed. "It has been awhile since we've talked. You've been busy, though. It's perfectly understandable." She turned back to the dresser and sifted through Hermione's other lingerie. "I've been settling in with Rolf, as well."

"How's that going?" she asked as Luna held up a short black silk dress. It was floor length with a slit up the leg. "That one's not that comfy."

Luna hummed and folded it before putting it back. "Rolf is lovely. We're planning a trip to India in a few months."

"Really?" Hermione moved to the bed and crawled to the centre. She crossed her legs. A ball of black fur jumped up and crawled into her lap. "Hey, sweetie," she cooed to the little cat. She scratched her finger on the flat of the kitten's head. It purred loudly.

Luna smiled at the cat. "Hello, Nix. I have treats for you. Remind me before I leave?" she asked of the cat. Nix meowed back.

"How long will you be gone for?"

"At least three months. If our search goes well, up to a year."

Hermione smiled sadly. "But what if we need our favourite reporter on the scene?"

Luna returned the smile. "Riley is my main writer. I trust him to take care of you. He works really well with my photographer, Winston. I'll make sure to get you all well acquainted before I leave again."

Hermione hummed and nodded as Nix purred in her lap. If Luna trusted them, she knew there was nothing to worry about. "Have you and Rolf talked about kids yet?"

Luna held up a pair of lace black knickers. She nodded approvingly and set them aside on the bed. "We decided to wait until after we get back from India. That's when we'll start trying."

"That's fairly soon," Hermione instantly responded and the anxiety in her voice was evident.

Luna shrugged. "I take that to mean you and Harry are waiting the full five years."

"I like my job," Hermione protested. "And if I'm pregnant, I'm not allowed to do experiments. The last thing I want to do is be stuck in Research for the rest of my life." She pouted. "I'm good at it, but it's not as fun. And once I have the baby, I'll be kept in Research until my magic levels return to normal. For some witches, that takes _years_."

"And you and Harry want more than one child," Luna added in.

"Exactly!" Hermione paused. "Actually, we haven't discussed it. But I'd assume so. We have Teddy already, but I'm sure Harry wants a few more. So do I, frankly." She pursed her lips as she thought about that. How many children would they have? How many did Harry want?

Luna smiled happily at the ensemble she'd put together. Lace black knickers under a short black negligee. Simple and sexy. She began to fold and put away the other pieces. "That makes sense - why you want to wait, I mean. Your career is important to you. Just as Harry's is to him. It shows a great deal of love that neither of you even considered infringing on one another's happiness."

Softly, Hermione responded, "Harry's happiness has always been one of my number one priorities."

Luna finished putting away the clothes and turned back around to her best friend. Her big blue eyes stared in that oddly omniscient way she had of doing. "And your happiness has always been Harry's. A perfect match."

Hermione rolled her eyes. That 100% match floated around in the back of her mind, taunting as ever.

"I should go, I need to get some work done for the _Quibbler_." Nix meowed. "Yes! Your treats. I'll leave them on the counter, shall I?" She gave Hermione a familial peck before kissing the cat's head.

"Thank you for coming. That dress you choose. Luna, it's perfect. Thank you."

Luna shared a sweet smile with Hermione. "I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry I teased you so much beforehand. I should have realized how stressful the situation was for you." Her smile turned sad as she looked down.

Hermione reached across the bed and grabbed the blonde's hand. "Hey, I had a wonderful time. Your teasing made me smile. I wouldn't change a single moment of this day. It was perfect. The fact that you picked out my lingerie for tonight has only made it better."

Luna laughed. "Don't tell Harry."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Do I look stupid?" she joked.

:::

Audrey Hepburn danced and sung her way across the screen as she attempted to become a "proper lady." Hermione was laid out across the couch in the first bit of downtime she'd had since all the wedding business had started up. The wedding was in two days. Everything was prepared and taken care of. Mrs. Weasley was heading up the final preparations at the cottage for the next two days. Harry and Hermione had never been more grateful to be honorary Weasleys.

Harry was snuggled up behind his finacé as they watched _My Fair Lady_. Their legs were tangled together and his thumb was tracing patterns on the skin of her hip where her silky negligee had ridden up to reveal her lace knickers.

His lips trailed along the skin of her neck. He pressed a kiss to her pulse point. Hermione closed her eyes and hummed happily.

Since the wedding dress shopping a few days ago, Harry had finally overcome whatever hurdle had been stopping him from kissing her. He hadn't gone further than snogging and a bit of light petting, but Hermione wasn't complaining. She hadn't let up in her flirtations with him in the least and she'd taken to Luna's advice of wearing lingerie around the flat.

Harry's fingers slipped beneath the lace of her knickers. Hermione's breath caught. "Please - please don't tease me," she whispered.

Harry smirked against the skin of her shoulder. "Tease? Like you've been teasing me all week?"

"Seducing you," she breathed. She reached back and her fingers curled into his hair, "there's a difference."

He snorted. Despite the sound of disagreement, his thumb slowly dragged her panties down her thighs. "Only you would think so." She hummed in response. Her eyes fluttered shut as his fingers trailed across the tops of her thighs. "I've been thinking about this all week," he whispered into her ear.

Hermione shifted. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to quiet her moan at the sound of his voice in her ear.

"All the things I want to do to you," he continued. His lips trailed soft kisses along her jaw. He paused for a second and his breath fanned out across her jaw. "Did you… do you want to hear?"

"Yes…" She drew the word out so long, Hermione almost sounded like she was speaking parseltongue.

Harry grinned. "I want to taste you." His finger slipped between her folds and teased her slit. "Shit," he hissed when he felt how wet she was. He hadn't been expecting that, if he were to be honest.

Hermione's head fell back and her body arched under his attention. Harry leaned forward on instinct to tease one of her breasts with his mouth through her negligee. His thumb pressed against her clit and Hermione gasped as she came. Her eyes squeezed shut and her body tensed as a wave of pleasure rolled through her to the tips of her toes.

When she opened her eyes again, Harry was staring at her with a small smile on his face and wonder in his eyes. Hermione felt her face grow hot. That had been embarrassingly quick for her. It wasn't fair. It'd been ages since she'd a proper release and the way he'd been whispering in her ear about what he wanted to do, he'd hit one of her favourite kinks without even trying.

She smiled awkwardly. "Oops." It was like all the hesitation in the air around them snapped.

Harry laughed. He leaned forward and captured her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. Hermione wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him into the cradle of her thighs. She pressed her chest up against his own. Harry's hands travelled up her body. He pushed her negligee up as he went. His lips broke away from hers as he pulled the fabric over her head and dropped it over the end of the couch.

They stared into one another's eyes breathlessly. Harry cupped the side of her face with his hand. "You're so beautiful."

Hermione smiled. Her eyes glinted. "Take off your clothes so I can say the same."

His grin widened. He rose up on his knees and his eyes trailed across her body. She had the most enticing collection of beauty marks that mapped themselves out across her neck, breasts, and her left hip bone. He wondered if she'd let him map them out with his lips and tongue. He wanted to worship her body the way he'd dreamed about for longer than was decent.

His shirt was tossed to the floor. Hermione bit her lip as she eyed him up. He leaned over her. They stared into one another's eyes again. Both could feel the edge they were sitting on. An edge they were about to tumble over together. It took everything in Hermione not to reach out to him. She had given him control. It was something she knew he needed, but it didn't lessen her desire to pull him close, roll them over, and have her wicked way with him.

But the prospect of Harry deciding exactly where this night went held a whole different sort of excitement for her. There were very few people that she would throw herself at the mercy of, but Harry had always been one of them.

His hand cupped her cheek again and he smiled softly at the look of want in her eyes. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of seeing that fire burning in her chocolatey orbs. It made him feel powerful. If she asked, Harry was fairly positive he could move mountains for that look. He could change the orbit of the earth for the way she looked when she had come undone.

The fact that he had been able to do that to her with only a few whispers and light touches made his heart hammer in his chest. He'd been thinking about doing that for her all week - for years really - and the reality was so much better than his imagination.

"Harry," Hermione whispered breathlessly as he swept his thumb across her bottom lip. Harry slowly closed the distance between them. She moaned into the kiss. Her fingers tangled in his hair. He pressed himself closer, revelling in the feel of her naked flesh against his own. His hands and lips explored her body leisurely. He licked and sucked his way down her neck as his hands cupped her breasts.

Hermione moaned in approval. She writhed under his gentle touches and soft lips. The way he touched her left her breathless. She'd had plenty of sex before. She'd even made love. But something in the way Harry touched her made her feel like she was being worshipped.

He slipped her leg over his shoulder and pressed a trail of kisses up the inside of her thigh. Hermione pulled her right leg over his other shoulder. She raised herself up onto her elbows and smiled down at him.

Harry glanced up at her and when he saw her wide smile, he couldn't help but laugh. "You look far too pleased."

"You've never looked better," she teased with a wink.

He narrowed his eyes but his smile didn't dissipate. Instead of responding, he leaned forward and licked along her wet slit. Hermione's head fell back as Harry's tongue curled inside of her. Breathlessly, she asked, "That the best you got?"

Harry pulled back. He looked up at her, slightly shocked and a bit hurt. Hermione raised an eyebrow challengingly. There wasn't a speck of cruel intentions on her face and he immediately knew she doing what she'd always done - pushing him to do what _he_ wanted. Courage washed through him. It filled his chest and steeled his resolve.

Harry ducked his head back down between her thighs. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut and she moaned. A second later, Harry was speaking in parseltongue with his tongue still inside her. Hermione's eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

The excitement in her voice did him in and he pulled back. His body shook as he laughed.

Hermione immediately rose to her elbows and shot him the most dramatically sad look he'd ever seen. "Why are you stopping?" she questioned, even as she laughed as well.

He wiped a tear away from beneath his glasses. "I've always wanted to try that."

"Well, ten point to Gryffindor, Mr. Potter. That was the best bloody idea you've ever had." Harry's forehead rested against her inner thigh as he laughed. "Can we keep trying it?" Hermione eagerly asked.

Harry chuckled and nodded. "Lay back."

"_Yes…_" She pressed her head back into the soft cushion of the couch. The way Harry's tongue moved, was the most incredible experience of her life. She never knew the human tongue could even move that way. Hermione gasped and moaned. She shifted on the couch. Her hips thrust up against Harry's mouth. He snaked his arms under her thighs and held her hips down.

Hermione's fingers curled into his wild hair. She pressed up again, as much as she could with his hands and arms restraining her. She could feel her body winding tight. Her toes curled. Her breathless moans filled the air.

She pressed her fingers against her clit. Her eyes squeezed shut as her body clenched. Her orgasm crashed against her like an ocean wave hitting the beach. The feeling overwhelmed her as it passed through her entire body and tore a startled cry from her lips.

Her hips jerked and her fingers tightened in his hair. Harry eased her through her orgasm. His tongue guided her through the aftershocks. Her body was still shaking as he lifted her knees from his shoulders and crawled back up the length of her body.

He smiled down at the blissful look on his face. He fought down the mad blush that rose to his cheeks. He was more than a bit startled with his own actions. He felt a bit like instead of dipping his toe into the kiddie pool, he'd just dived off into the deep end. Hermione looked more than a bit pleased though, and Harry knew he had been thoroughly enjoying himself.

Hermione's lashes fluttered as she slowly came back to her senses. Her cheeks were flushed and her curls a mess. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything so beautiful. He realized, this is exactly what she'd been talking about last week. These were the moments he'd been missing out on.

A flash of annoyance for Ginny rushed through him, which he quickly forced back down. He'd spent enough time annoyed and angry with her. He was going to revel in the moment. He was going to enjoy every single breathless second with the witch beneath him. And as Harry watched Hermione smile widely at him, he determined that nothing would ever hold him back again.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and she drew him in for a long kiss. Harry pulled her in against his chest. He guided her legs around his waist and without a word, lifted her up as he slowly carried her to their bedroom.

He set her onto the centre of the bed as he kissed her deeply. Hermione breathed out a soft cry of protest when he pulled back. He pushed his boxers down before quickly joining her on the bed again. He leaned over her. His hand cupped the back of her head as he kissed her once more.

"Under the covers?" he asked when he pulled back.

Hermione hummed. "Only if you want. I prefer on top." She winked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do I feel like you mean that in more ways than one?"

"Because you're a very, very smart boy." Her finger trailed across his lips. "With a very, very good tongue."

Harry winked and smiled that confident, charming smile that Hermione adored. He leaned forward and pressed his tongue into her mouth, showing her all the ways he could be very good with his tongue. And he was. Hermione curled her fingers into his hair once more and lost herself in the feeling of his tongue in her mouth. She could taste herself on him.

He pressed against her. Hermione lowered her hand and wrapped her fingers around him. Harry moaned into her mouth. She tried not to break into another mad smile, but it was hard not to when she wrapped her fingers around his length. Merlin, that was going to feel amazing inside of her, she already knew it.

She stroked him eagerly. Her thumb swept across the top on the upwards stroke and Harry broke the kiss with a curse. He buried his head in the crook of her neck. Hermione bit her lip in an attempt to hold back that same smile from before. She continued her ministrations, slowly increasing the speed and pressure.

"Fuck, Hermione." He reached down and grabbed her wrist. When he pulled back to look at her, she was smiling innocently. She batted her lashes at him. "Stop causing trouble."

"Me? Trouble? Why I'd _never_." Her eyes glinted with mischief.

He made a noise of mild disbelief.

"I'm offended at the insinuation," she declared with a shake of her head.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're just trying to make this harder, aren't you?"

"I thought that was the point?" she quipped.

He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close. He teasingly bit the bottom of her earlobe and growled, "Enough, witch."

A thrill ran through Hermione as she replied with a silky, "Yes, sir."

Harry settled between her thighs with a laugh. "Are you always like this?"

Her cheeks turned pink in a moment of mild embarrassment. She shrugged a shoulder. "I like teasing you." She cocked her head to the side. "Besides, sex should be fun. We're finding pleasure with each other, no one said you could only do that one way."

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I like your way." It eased his anxieties. Hermione always knew how to make him feel safe. She knew how to make him forget all the worries that were rushing through the back of his mind.

She nodded quickly. "It's the best way." He slowly shook his head, his nose nudged her own. His fingers curled around her thigh and slowly hooked her leg over his hip. He stared deeply into her eyes. He leaned over her, putting his weight on his forearms by her head. Hermione felt as her heart stuttered in her chest. The way he was staring at her had her toes curling and her heartbeat racing. "Harry?"

He slowly closed the distance between them. His lips and tongue teased her own in a deep kiss. Harry ground his hips against hers. Hermione moaned loudly into his mouth. She moved her hips in time with his own and he made a pleased sound.

He reached a hand between them to help as he slowly eased himself inside her. Hermione's eyes squeezed shut. Her mouth fell open in bliss. Harry took calming breath to centre himself. "Holy shit," he whispered.

Hermione bit her tongue on a laugh. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed soft, gentle kisses to the side of his face. She nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

He nodded against her shoulder but didn't move otherwise. After a long moment filled only with Harry's deep breathing, he finally began to move. Hermione couldn't contain her moans. She moved her hips in time with his, her back arching and her nails digging into his skin.

"Yes, Harry," she breathed between thrusts.

He slowly picked up the pace. His own pleased groans joined her own. The frames on the wall shook as the bed rocked back into the wall. The bed creaked.

It was overwhelming. Far more overwhelming than Hermione was expecting. She felt completely unprepared for the effect Harry was having on her. His earlier touches were nothing in comparison to the tenderness he handled her with now. Every touch was filled with sweetness and caring. The emotion of the moment swelled up inside of her. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.

Hermione's face was flushed red. She gasped, unable to utter even an exclamation as her orgasm took her by surprise. Harry groaned into the side of her neck. His glasses were slipping so far down his nose that they'd nearly fallen off. His face was just as flushed and sweaty as her own.

The feeling of completeness swept over him like a tidal wave. Sex had never felt like this before. There was a level of emotion and intimacy that he realized had always been lacking. He wondered if this was simply the difference between sex with Ginny versus Hermione, or if it was the difference between sex and making love.

When he'd regained his breath, he pulled himself up a bit and fixed his glasses. He smiled down at the pleased look on her face. "Like the cat that got the canary."

She hummed and nodded. Her fingers trailed down his sweaty chest and along the defined muscles of his stomach. "Can you blame me? That was fun."

He chuckled and eased himself onto the mattress beside her. He rested his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He'd just had sex with _Hermione_. If he could only go back in time and tell his eighteen year old self to not give up hope like he had. He'd honestly thought he'd never be able to have this. Never have the woman of his dreams.

"Harry?"

He blinked his eyes open and turned his head to the curly haired witch beside him. He was going to spend the rest of his life laying beside her, with her, waking up next to her. His heart swelled inside his chest. "'Mione?"

She grinned impishly. "Want to have some more fun?"

Harry laughed incredulously. He was the luckiest man in the world.

:::

Hermione stood before the door to her walk in closet. Her wedding dress was hanging off of the door, the train only just managed to miss dragging across the floor. It was still beautiful. She had no regrets about her decision. Molly had done all the alterations needed and the dress fit perfectly. Everything was ready for tomorrow.

Hermione was getting married in the morning.

The flowers had been set up. The decorations were in place. The catering was taken care of. The cake had been picked up. Everything was ready. But something was wrong. It still felt like something was missing.

Hermione reached her hand out. Her fingers trailed along the silky fabric. Her mother would have loved the dress. Tears sprung to Hermione's eyes. She pulled her fingers back as if burned.

"All done," Harry announced as he stepped into the bedroom.

Hermione quickly wiped her eyes and turned to give him a bright smile. "Is it okay?"

He made a face. "It's a bit small, but I fit in the bed and dresser. I put up some pictures we have of his parents and the Weasleys."

"The toy chest?"

He nodded. "It fit too." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest. "I just feel bad we don't have more space for him. We'll need to start up the search for a house again, after the wedding." They'd renovated the closet between the bedroom and the living area into a bedroom for Teddy. They'd expanded the space, taking from the living room in order to do it. It was a tight fit and they both knew it wouldn't last for long.

Hermione snuggled into Harry's chest and nodded silently.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

She squeezed her arms around him tightly. "Just missing my parents again," she replied, trying to make it sound less serious than it was.

Harry nodded sadly. "There are a lot of people I wish could be here tomorrow."

She smiled sadly. "We should get a portrait done of them all."

He chuckled quietly. "Christ, imagine the party in that frame." Hermione laughed. When she quieted again, he pressed another kiss to her head and whispered, "I have something for you." He went over to the bedside table he'd taken over and pulled out a square felt box.

"What is this?" she asked as he handed it to her.

"Open it."

She did. Inside and laying on a plush silk bed was a beautiful opal necklace. The stone was a smooth oval pendant on a thin gold necklace. "It's beautiful," she breathed. Her fingers touched the smooth, polished stone.

"I thought you could wear it tomorrow, along with your mother's earrings."

Hermione smiled as her eyes filled with tears. "_Harry_…" She touched his chin and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love it. Thank you."

Harry smoothed his knuckles along her cheekbone. "Despite the circumstances, I want tomorrow to be everything you've dreamed of."

A happy tear fell down her cheek. She nodded. "It will be."

* * *

Happy Canada Weekend! Tomorrow I'll be a new story! I've already let my readers on my other story know and vote on what they'd like, so in fairness, I'll be posting the same story info here. Your choices are a Thormione, a Sirmione, or a Harmony.

The Thormione will be more sporadic updates, mostly because I'm not as far along in it. It takes place post-Hogwarts but the war has dragged on for a few more years and is still ongoing.

The Sirmione is a non-time travel "Hermione born in the 70's" trope. It's actually inspired off of my Child Bride story. There's an explanation Hermione will give later that super inspired me as a "what if" scenario and I ran with it.

The Harmony has super!Harry, not-a-muggleborn-Hermione, and lots of Marauder love. Featuring alternate realities and an epic "save the world" storyline!

Currently, Sirmione is in the lead. So if you really want to see another story, I recommend you leave a comment to let me know!

Next chapter is the wedding! See you then. (Also, thank you so much for all your kind responses over the last chapter. I was so nervous and you all made me feel so much better about my decision to incorporate those scenes. I'm really glad that it not only added to the story but provided more for the whole Ginny/Harry plotline. Hopefully, this sex scene lived up to the hopes and dreams. It was a delicate balance between amusing and serious and I hope I got it alright.)

xx


	9. IX

.ix.

Luna delicately pinned Hermione's curls into place. Despite their best efforts, her nerves were forcing the curls to spring out of place. The blonde glanced over her shoulder at Hermione's Aunt Sarah who was distracted with helping Grams with a stuck zipper. Luna whispered a sticking charm under her breath and sighed in relief when the curls stayed in the low chignon.

"Perfect."

Hermione smiled weakly. "Thanks."

Luna gave her a look of sympathy. She leaned closer so Sarah wouldn't overhear. "It's going to be okay. Just focus on the fact that it's Harry waiting for you at the end of the dock."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was a calming thought. This wasn't the end of her life. This wasn't settling down and having two point five children and never working again. This would be a partnership with one of the only people she ever truly saw as her partner in everything.

She focused on the flutterings in her chest she felt when he kissed her. The way her entire body warmed when she touched him and the way she couldn't help but smile when she saw him. These were all good things, she reminded herself. She was falling for him, she hoped. She didn't want a loveless marriage.

There would be love, she knew. But she wanted more than just friendship and familial love. She wanted breathless passion and sweet seduction. She almost shivered when she remembered the way Harry had whispered in her ear as he touched her. There was definitely passion there. There was a type of love and certainly a partnership. But just like when she had stood before her wedding dress, she knew there was something missing.

She wanted to be _in_ love on her wedding day. She wanted the groom to be in love as well - in love with _her_. Her eyes slowly opened again. Hermione tried not to feel completely self pitying. It wasn't fair for her to feel jealous of Ginny Weasley on her wedding day.

There was a knock at the door. Hermione turned in her seat as Aunt Sarah answered. From her angle, Hermione couldn't see who was there. When Aunt Sarah closed the door, she was holding a white box wrapped with pretty pink ribbon.

"What's that?"

Grams smiled. "A present for the bride, apparently."

Hermione stood. She touched the necklace resting at the centre of her chest. He couldn't have possibly gotten her something else. "From Mrs. Weasley, you think?"

Aunt Sarah shrugged. "Ronald delivered it, he didn't say who it was from." She handed the package over and gave Hermione a kiss to the cheek. "I've got to get down to the dock with everyone else. You look beautiful."

She smiled and accepted the present. "Thank you."

Aunt Sarah exited the master bedroom of the small cottage that Hermione had inherited from her parents. The ceremony was being held down on a dock that had been magically extended. The reception was set up on the wide deck that extended out from the back door and wrapped around the two bedroom cottage.

Hermione stared curiously at the white box. She set it on the edge of the bed before undoing the delicate ribbon. When she lifted the lid, her heart actually stuttered in her chest. "No…" she whispered. Hermione reached out and grabbed Luna's wrist. "Luna," she questioned frantically, "is my makeup waterproof?"

"Completely," the blonde quickly responded.

"Oh, thank god," Hermione gasped as she dissolved into tears.

Luna's eyes widened and she looked over Hermione's head to Grams. "What is it?"

Grams was smiling, tears in her eyes. "Her mother's veil."

Luna turned her wide eyes on the slip of fabric in the box. Hermione was crying uncontrollably. She covered her mouth with her hands as her shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. "Okay," Luna whispered sympathetically, "it's okay. Just breathe. Deep breaths. Oh!" She dashed away to grab her purse. "I have a calming draught," she explained as she returned.

Hermione grabbed the potion out of her hand and downed it without a thought. The magical potion immediately did its work. The witch gasped a breath as her tears receded. Grams quickly came forward with a cloth and patted her cheeks dry.

She cupped her granddaughter's cheeks tenderly. "Don't worry, you still look like an angel." Hermione grasped Grams wrist and squeezed it gratefully. She swallowed down the rest of her tears before they got the better of her again. "Do you want to put it on?"

Hermione nodded, still speechless. She turned towards the full length mirror set up beside the vanity. Grams gently pulled the white lace veil from the box and brought it over to the bride. She pinned it in place at the very top of her head. The lace edging framed her entire body as it fell around her.

"How?" she whispered.

"He asked for pictures," Grams explained gently. "I think he set Mrs. Weasley on it the day you bought your dress."

Hermione closed her eyes as a smile stretched across her face. "Harry?" she confirmed even though she already knew. He'd run off the second they'd gotten home that day. She should have known. How had she not seen that?

Grams smiled at her in the reflection of the mirror. "Who else?"

A feeling Hermione couldn't place ran through her. As she stared at the reflection of herself wearing an exact replica of her mother's veil, all her anxiety fell away. There was nothing to be nervous over. She glanced from her mother's veil and earrings to Harry's mother's ring to the beautiful opal necklace that he had given her and she realized, there wasn't anything to be jealous of either. Harry had done absolutely everything in his power to make this day perfect for her. He had certainly succeeded.

The strange feeling settled in her chest. It warmed her heart. The feeling stayed with her as she made her way down to the deck. A harp played as Grams and Gramps led her down the slope to the dock.

The second Harry came into her line of sight at the edge of the dock, the feeling in her chest intensified. It spread through her whole body and filled her with warmth. Her fingers tingled and her heart fluttered in her chest. She nearly stumbled when the realization of what she was feeling hit her. She was in love with him. She was in love with Harry Potter.

When had that happened?

The next thing she knew, she was standing at the end of the dock under an arch of roses, tulips, and bay leaves. Harry's hands held her own.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

She squeezed his fingers, fighting not to burst into tears yet again. "_Thank you_," she whispered meaningfully. She loved him. Her mind felt like it was going in a million directions at once and each train was being derailed for different reasons. Why was she realizing this _now_?

The ministry official began the muggle appropriate version of a magical wedding ceremony. The words passed right over her head. She wasn't even listening. All of her focus was on Harry. His bright emerald eyes captured hers. He looked like a dream in his black muggle suit.

He was a dream. Everything he'd done for her leading up to this day was surreal. A month ago he was going to marry another woman and… and he gave _her_ his mother's ring instead. He gave Hermione her _mother's veil_.

Harry's lips quirked up into an endearing smile and she was lost. She had fallen for him. One month, that's all it had taken. One month and she was his. It was a terrifying thought, but Hermione determined to follow her heart. She had fallen for someone and for the first time ever, that thought didn't terrify her.

"And now, I've been told that our bride and groom have decided on making their own vows to one another." The older wizard nodded once at Harry, "Mr. Potter?"

Harry smiled awkwardly. He turned to Ron who handed him a folded piece of paper. Harry swallowed nervously. He glanced up at Hermione who looked amused for a moment before biting her lip. He allowed her silent mocking only because it had wiped the deer-in-headlights look off her face. Harry was fairly certain she was having a 'fight or flee' moment and he was grateful she'd snapped out of it.

He opened the paper and cleared his throat. "Hermione," he addressed, projecting his voice so all those sitting in the chairs stretched across the deck could hear, "when we were seventeen, you asked me to stay with you. To build a life together away from everyone else. To grow old together." Hermione smiled at his reference to their time in the Forest of Dean together. "And ever since that day, all I could hope for was that I'd properly get the chance to do just that." He could see something shining in her eyes that he didn't think was fear, but couldn't quite place.

"You make life feel brighter," he told her. "You make everything feel new and exciting. You're so smart and so beautiful and the greatest best friend that I have always wished for. Getting to spend everyday with you sounds like the most incredible gift. I've not had an easy life, but I'd go through _everything_ again if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you. _I love you_." His eyes teared and he looked down at the parchment shaking in his hands. Hermione reached over and squeezed his wrist in comfort. He smiled at her gratefully.

"I can't promise that the years will be easy. Knowing us, they'll be full of trouble." Hermione's smile widened at that. "I'm gonna throw down a blanket apology right now for all the times I should do what you say and don't." Everyone laughed at that, Hermione included. "But I promise to always listen _before_ I do that and apologize profusely after. And I promise that no matter what our lives bring or what the world demands of us, I will always be with you, with our family, and with the family we're going to create. I will be by your side for the rest of our lives. To build a life together. To grow old together."

Hermione smiled through the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Harry handed her his handkerchief, which she accepted gratefully. She dabbed at her eyes and turned to Luna to get her own vows.

Hermione took a deep breath to compose herself. Her eyes flickered over her vows and she nodded once to herself. She looked up at Harry and stared deeply into his eyes. "You're an idiot." Laughter followed her pronouncement, Harry and Hermione laughed with them. "You're so single minded about things and stubborn as they come and you _never_ listen to me," she added with a playful glare, "even though I'm _always_ right."

"Well…"

She smacked his arm with her paper. "And you always interrupt me!" There was more laughter. Harry blushed and looked properly abashed. Hermione chuckled as she shook her head at him. "You understand me," she continued on a more serious note. "You… you are always there for me and I promise to return that. I will always support you and I will always stand by your side, but you know that.

"So, I promise not to nag you like we're back in school. I won't tell you what to do… too often, at least. We will learn and grow together. We will live our lives the way we did that year, as a team. Best friends. In anything and everything. Nothing is going to change that. I couldn't even begin to imagine my life with anyone else." Her eyes teared and she smiled waterily. "I don't want to. I can hardly wait to spend the rest of our lives together." Her smile widened. "I'm going to drive you nuts."

"I hope so," Harry responded with a watery laugh of his own. Their friends and family chuckled.

The official drew everyone's attention again and called for the rings. Harry and Hermione turned to their best man and maid of honour, respectively. The minister waxed poetic about love and commitment and the joining of two souls. Harry made a face at Hermione. The official paused and gave Harry a scolding look. Both bride and groom burst into giggles.

The official continued. Harry slipped a simple wedding band onto Hermione's finger. She slid Harry's father's ring onto his own finger. He felt a stuttering breath leave him. It meant the world to him that Hermione was okay with them using these rings. It felt like they were there with him and would be everyday.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss."

Applause and cheering sounded. Harry used his grip on Hermione's hands to pull her flush against his chest. He leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. Hermione smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She clung to the lapels of his suit. Joy and elation filled the couple as the cheers soared around them.

Married. They were married.

:::

"Just smile," Luna instructed the bride and groom. The guests had migrated to the deck after the ceremony for appetizers, leaving the newly wedded couple to Luna and her photographer Winston. "Less tense."

Hermione winced. She shifted on her feet and pushed a curl behind her ear. "This is so awkward," she muttered under her breath.

Harry's arm felt stiff where it was wrapped around her waist. "I hate having my photo taken," he agreed.

She huffed out a breath. "How do you want us to stand?" They were positioned under the archway, simply standing there and staring at Luna and Winston. Hermione knew they looked uncomfortable. She felt uncomfortable.

Winston shook his head at Luna. He waved his hand at them. "Just relax, there's a problem with the lighting." He adjusted the camera in his hands. "It's coming out wrong. I'm gonna take a couple shots to fix it."

Luna nodded at Winston and turned back to them. "Take a moment for yourselves, it'll likely be the only one you get for the rest of the night."

Hermione and Harry both let out a breath of relief. She turned and they shared a smile. "You really do look beautiful, Hermione."

She felt her cheeks turn pink. "Thanks to you. Honestly, Harry… I'm still speechless." She leaned into his chest and rested her head against him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head where her veil was attached. "What you did means the world to me. Thank you."

"I want today to be perfect for you."

"It _is_," she responded emphatically. She pulled back. "And for you? This is your wedding day too and I want -"

"-It's perfect," he interrupted. He cupped her cheek and smiled at the way his father's ring glinted in the warm light of the sunset. "Everything's perfect." He turned and looked out across the lake. "It's wonderful here."

Hermione turned and they both stared out across the calm water. "I love it here. It'll be a nice long weekend."

Harry nodded. "Teddy nearly jumped into the water when he saw some ducks earlier." She laughed at that. "We should come back with him for a weekend."

"Whenever you like," she agreed. He hugged her from behind and she leaned her head back so she could look up again. "It's lovely here in the fall and the winter too. We can make a habit of it."

He pulled her in tight and kissed the side of her face. "That sounds wonderful."

"Okay!" Luna called out.

Harry and Hermione turned around. "You're ready for us again?" she asked.

Winston laughed as he fixed his camera. "Nah, we're done here." The couple blinked in shock. Their photographer winked. "We took our shots when you were distracted. Natural, good lighting. These, plus what I got during the ceremony look brilliant. I'll be taking some more candid ones during the meal and dancing and then I'll head out. Usually I'd meet up with you lot in a few weeks with the best of the shots but…" He shrugged awkwardly. "They've got to be printed tomorrow morning in the _Quibbler_."

Hermione winced and nodded. "We understand. Just please, nothing too embarrassing."

He shook his head. "Don't worry, I've got you." He headed up the incline towards the deck to grab some more shots of the guests.

Harry and Hermione headed towards the grass where Luna waited for them. "Thank you for this. Harry was right picking you. I feel very… safe."

Luna smiled brightly. "I'm honoured. There's nothing to be worried about. I've got final say on what will be given to the _Prophet_ in a few days. Everything's taken care of. Now, head up there and enjoy your day." Hermione handed Luna her bouquet and her veil as well, asking her to safely return the precious items to her room. Luna leaned forward and pressed a kiss to their cheek each. "I'm so happy for you."

They thanked her before following her instructions and heading up to the wide deck. Mrs. Weasley had set up string lights that criss crossed back and forth above the entire area. There was a single table on a raised platform for Harry and Hermione. Surrounding the dance floor were long tables with seating for all of the guests.

In the far corner was a small band that announced them as they stepped up to the deck. Everyone cheered and the couple smiled and waved as they made their way up to their table. They sat together on the wide white loveseat that had been set up for them, instead of two chairs. Hermione looked out across the reception area and her brow furrowed.

"How on earth did Mrs. Weasley get all of this onto the deck?" she whispered to Harry.

"Definitely with magic."

"I told her not to."

Harry gave her a look like he thought she was stupid, something he didn't get to do very often. "Did you really think she'd listen? Besides, I don't think we'd have been able to fit everyone if she hadn't."

Hermione pursed her lips, which meant she agreed.

The first course was served. Music played in the background. The noise level rose and fell as the guests talked and laughed. Harry and Hermione barely ate a thing. They were constantly distracted by watching the other guests and discussing the way everything looked. After the food was cleared away, the singer announced the first dance for them. Harry stood and held his hand out for Hermione. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

He led her out onto the floor and into his arms. The melody of a muggle song they'd chosen played from the band. Harry held her close as he guided her across the dance floor. His hand pressed against the bare skin of her back. Hermione rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, others had joined them on the dance floor. Harry and Gramps traded partners and Hermione was whisked away from her husband in the arms of her grandfather.

"Lookin' good, sugar plum."

"Thanks, Gramps," Hermione responded with an amused smile. She rested her head against his shoulder and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Your parents would be so proud of you."

Her fingers tightened around his hand and her eyes squeezed shut. "I wish they were here."

"Me too."

:::

"Auntie 'Mione!" Teddy cried as he stepped up onto the platform. He climbed up onto the loveseat with her where she was eating her baked salmon.

"Hello, sweetie." She stroked her fingers through his Weasley looking hair and pressed a kiss to his head. "Having fun?"

He gave two big nods. "Grandma said 'm not allowed up here." He blinked big, innocent eyes up at her. "But you'll let me stay, right?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes but couldn't help the smile that stretched her lips. "Would you like some salmon?"

"Yes, please!"

"Come here, love." She pulled him into her lap and fed him a small bite of salmon. She took a bite for herself as he chewed.

"Where's Uncle Harry?" he asked after his second bite.

"Dancing with Aunt Luna." Hermione pointed towards the dance floor where the blonde witch was waving her arms and spinning in circles. Harry was dancing from one foot to the other, trying desperately not to laugh. Hermione and Teddy shared a giggle.

"Are you excited to come stay with Uncle Harry and I?"

Teddy gave another two big nods. He picked up a piece of the salmon with his fingers and ate it. "Can we eat popcorn?"

Hermione tried not to sigh. She hoped the boy wouldn't be too upset when every night wasn't a party. She used to go out of her way to make his stays with her fun and playful, something easily achieved when he was only staying for a night. Things would be different now.

"Not every night," she explained slowly as she wiped his hands with her cloth napkin. "Auntie 'Mione and Uncle Harry have to work. But we both have Saturdays off, we can eat popcorn and watch movies then, if you like."

He turned on her lap and smiled brightly. "Really?"

"Really, really."

"Edward Remus Lupin!" Andy scolded. Teddy immediately tensed.

Hermione leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Run!" The little boy didn't need to be told twice. He slipped off of her lap and dashed down the other side of the platform.

It was late into the night several hours later and the party was still going. Harry had gone down to the deck with Neville for a drink and some fresh air. They stood at the end of the deck and stared up at all the stars as they slowly drank their muggle beers.

"I'm happy for you, mate."

Harry grinned and sipped his beer. "Thanks, Nev."

Neville glanced sidelong at Harry. "You nervous?" When Harry only raised his eyebrows, he elaborated with an awkward rush of words. "About having sex with Hermione tonight?" Harry smirked at his friend. He took another sip of beer. Neville's eyes widened. "You already had sex?"

He nodded and at the smile on his face, his friend knew it could only have gone well.

"How was it? Did you cry?" Neville teased him. "Did you blow your load before you got to the end? I bet she was really nice about it. Did you even make her finish?"

"Eight times," Harry confirmed.

Neville choked on his beer. "Merlin's fucking _balls_. I hate you, you know that? You're bloody good at _everything_. For fuck's sake. Just… ugh, just _die_ already."

Harry snorted. "And deprive my lovely wife of mind blowing sex? Nah."

He left his friend behind to grumble about 'mind blowing sex' and 'stupid Chosen One's, so good at everything.'

The party went on until nearly three in the morning. The band left long before the people but a muggle DJ had remained that played music for them. The families with children were the first to say their goodbyes. Teddy pressed sleepy kisses to their cheeks and mumbled something about blanket forts and popcorn. Hermione's extended family were the next to filter out and head to their own cottages around the lake.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley helped pack the food away, the last ones to leave. "It's all packed up," Mrs. Weasley explained. "I've left enough food for the whole weekend. There's proper breakfast food in here too, so don't go eating cake all morning."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said with feeling. "Today was incredible. You made today so magical, thank you for _everything_."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes teared. She raised a hand to cup Hermione's cheek. "Think nothing of it, dear. I enjoyed every moment. You and Harry have both been ours since you were children. I'm happy to see you both settled down."

"You're not… upset?"

The Weasley Matriarch gave her a sad smile. "I can't say I'm not disappointed. And I can't say I wasn't furious for a short time." She dropped her hand to her side and Hermione cringed. "But Ginny told me about what the Minister was threatening. After I learned what Harry had said…"

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Mrs. Weasley?" She couldn't keep the tiny bit of fear from slipping into her voice. Ginny had told her mother about Hermione's involvement? Who else had she told?

The older witch sighed. "He could have left, you do realize that, yes? When the Minister threatened to throw you out, he could have just walked away himself. The Wizarding World would have overturned the law to get him back."

Hermione blinked quickly. The thought had never even occurred to her. "I don't think Harry realized."

Mrs. Weasley smiled and something about it made Hermione feel like she was missing something. Something about the conversation reminded her eerily of one she'd had with Arthur at George and Angelina's wedding. "I think the answer to that goes without saying." Before Hermione could ask for an explanation, Mrs. Weasley pressed a loving kiss to her forehead. "Congratulations, darling."

Mr. Weasley appeared and the two made their escape, leaving behind a baffled Hermione. She turned to Harry as he entered the kitchen. He pulled at his tie as he leaned against the entrance to the kitchen. He smiled at her charmingly.

"Hey, beautiful."

Hermione's heart swelled. "Hey…" Her conversation with Mrs. Weasley slipped to the back of her mind to examine later. Hermione leaned back against the counter and heaved a great sigh. "I'm exhausted."

"The absolute longest day of my life," he agreed.

"It was wonderful."

"Completely brilliant." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Are we having sex tonight?"

Hermione snorted. "I'm way too tired for that."

He let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Merlin. You're insatiable. We'd be up for hours." She laughed because it really was true.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the stairs. "Come on. The sooner we sleep, the sooner we can wake up and spend the weekend fucking."

"You're so smart," he enthused as he allowed himself to be pulled up the steps. "Most brilliant witch there is." He eyed the buttons trailing down her rear. "And such a nice arse."

Hermione paused at the top of the steps. She looked over her shoulder at him. "I thought you _didn't_ want to be up for hours more?" He smiled her favourite charming smile. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She shook her head at him. "You're walking a dangerous line, Mr. Potter."

Harry climbed the rest of the stairs until he was directly behind her. He pressed against her back so he could feel the heat of her body through their clothes. His hand slipped around her waist and his fingers spread across the silky fabric of her dress. Hermione sucked in a sharp breath. His lips teased her ear as he whispered, "I thought you knew that I liked danger… Mrs. Potter."

Hermione spun around. She grabbed the lapels of his suit and pulled him forward. Her lips crashed against his and Harry wrapped his arms around her waist. He opened his mouth under Hermione's passionate onslaught as he pressed her back against the wall of the hallway.

When he broke away for air, Hermione immediately attacked his neck. Her fingers quickly undid the buttons of his shirt. He pulled the fabric of her skirt up until he was able to hook his fingers around her white lace knickers. With a smooth flick and a push of magic, they fell to the floor.

"Bedroom?" he suggested when she pushed his suit jacket off his shoulders.

Hermione undid his buckle as she shook her head. She sent him a devilish grin that shot a thrill through his body. She picked up her skirts as she pressed her back against the wall.

Harry couldn't help the wondrous smile on his face as he closed the distance between them. "What're we doing?"

"Sex against the wall."

He slowly shook his head. "Every day is going to be an adventure with you, isn't it?"

Hermione leaned forward and smiled. "Of the best kind."

Harry chuckled. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply. Hermione hooked her leg over his. He took the hint and lifted her into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed her against the wall.

"Is this what you want?" he whispered into her ear as he slowly rocked his hips against her own. He nibbled at her earlobe and palmed her breast in his hand. Hermione's head fell back against the wall as she moaned. "Is this how you pictured your wedding night, _Mrs. Potter_?"

Hermione whined and ground herself against him in response.

Harry pulled back fractionally and held himself away with a hand on her hip to keep the distance. Hermione's eyes shot open. He could see the flush of her cheeks even in the shadows of the hallway. Her curls were quickly escaping from her updo and her chest rose and fell with the rapid pace of her breath.

"That wasn't an answer, Hermione."

"_Harry_," she whined. She almost regretted telling him how much she had liked it when he took charge.

He pressed soft, sweet kisses along her neck. He hummed in response. She could feel his smile against her skin. She made a pained sound. Harry pulled back. "Did you need something?"

"You. I need you," she breathed. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the base of his skull. "Please. _Please_."

"Holy shit," he breathed against her neck. All self composure immediately slipped away. He had not expected nor been looking for begging. The sound of it shot heat through his body that ran straight to his groin. He fumbled to get to his trousers. Her legs were still wrapped around him and her skirts had gathered on either side of him. "Fuck. I can't-"

Hermione whispered a spell. His trousers and pants were on the floor in a second. She slipped a hand between them to help guide him inside her. He groaned, the sound of it drowning out Hermione's gasp.

It took a bit of fumbling on Harry's part to find a rhythm. He'd never had sex like this before and he had a horrible moment of self doubt that he might do something wrong. His fears shrank into the background with every breathy moan and gasp that fell from Hermione's lips. He focused on the feel of her body against his own, the taste of her skin on his tongue. Her soft, pretty gasps filled the hallway.

"Harry," she whined.

She needed more. He slipped the top of her dress off her shoulders and down her arms. She was braless beneath the dress and Harry immediately cupped one breast in his hand. He ducked his head down and captured her nipple in his mouth. He sucked and licked at the sensitive skin, his thrusts didn't falter for a second.

Hermione's fingers dug into his shoulders for purchase. Her head fell back against the wall and she cried out as she came. Harry pressed his face into the crook of her neck when, a few thrusts later, he followed her into oblivion. Neither spoke for a minute as they each regained their breath.

Hermione let out a breathless laugh. "Okay. _Now_ I'm tired."

Harry grinned and hoisted her up higher around his hips. After a sweet kiss, he carried his wife to bed.

END OF PART ONE

* * *

Well, there she is. The long awaited wedding scene. I hope I made at least one of you cry ;)

Fear not, Part Two will be posted under the same story. I might give myself some time before I start uploading it. I'm only about two chapters in and I want some more finished before I hand them over to you guys.

This is my celebration chapter for me finally finishing my TESL course! I will be applying to places around the world and hopefully getting the hell out of Canada for a bit. Wish me luck!

For those of you wondering, this celebration means that YES you do get a new chapter of Child Bride and Shadow World so head on over there next!

Thanks for reading!

xx


	10. Part Two: xi

Part Two

.xi.

The sun peeked through the curtains. It warmed Hermione's naked skin, fighting the light chill in the early morning air. The young witch slowly blinked open her eyes. She stared up at the wood beams of the ceiling for a moment before she remembered where she was. A smile slowly stretched across her face. She turned her head to the wizard sleeping soundly beside her.

Harry always looked so peaceful when he slept. She turned onto her side and slid her hand across his broad shoulders. He hummed and sighed. Her wedding ring glinted in the sunlight.

They were married. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the way she had reacted to him calling her 'Mrs. Potter.' My god, she had been turned on so hard so fast, she'd nearly gotten whiplash. It had been completely unexpected. Maybe Ginny was right, maybe her feelings for Harry had never left. If they had ever gone away, they were certainly back now and with a vengeance.

Hermione slipped out of bed, deciding she needed some distance from the man consuming her thoughts. She grabbed the quilt folded in the corner chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. The stairs creaked as she made her way downstairs. She paused to look at the pictures that decorated the stairwell. Her parents had been coming up to the cottage since before she was born. Hermione touched her fingers to her parents' wedding photo.

"Love you," she whispered. She turned away before she'd start to cry.

Hermione made her way into the kitchen and cut herself a slice of wedding cake. She made a cup of tea to go with it before stuffing her bare feet into the rubber boots in the closet and heading out. The tulip and rose archway were still at the end of the dock. All the chairs had been cleared away.

Hermione set her food and tea down beside her as she took a seat. She pulled the boots off and set them aside. The quilt slipped and she fixed it before picking up her fairly large slice of cake. Her toes grazed the surface of the cold water below.

The sun glinted across the water. The lush green trees across the horizon vibrated and shimmered in the breeze. It was slightly chilly in the morning with the anticipation of the autumn weather.

Hermione breathed in the fragrant scent of her earl grey tea. The porcelain warmed her fingers. She stared at the beautiful sparkle of her wedding rings. Her heart hammered inside her chest when she thought about the fact that she was wearing Harry's mum's ring. They were wearing his parents' rings.

Did Harry love her?

A wave of emotion swept through her entire body. Tears gathered in her eyes. It startled her just how strongly she wanted him to love her - to be _in_ love with her. Reflectively, it made sense considering her sudden realization yesterday that she was in love with _him_.

"Hey," Harry greeted as he sat down beside her. He was barefoot and clad in only a pair of boxers with his own quilt over his shoulders. He leaned towards her and gave her a kiss. His hand raised to cup her cheek as he held her there. He hummed in appreciation. "You taste amazing."

"You taste like oranges," she replied with a happy smile.

He shrugged. "Teeth cleansing charm." It always left an orangey taste in his mouth. She raised a forkful of cake and fed it to him. He hummed again and nodded. "Much better."

"Tea?"

"_Tea?_" He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I think I've figured it out," he claimed as he accepted the mug. He took a sip and his green eyes glittered over the rim of the mug. "You crave coffee when you haven't had sex."

Her eyebrows raised. "Is that right?"

"You're also _far_ more grumpy, but that's a more normal response." He took another sip of her tea. His feet skimmed along the cold water below and he hissed as he shivered. "Christ." He waved his wand that had been attached to his inner arm and the water below bubbled for a moment before settling down. Steam slowly rose from the water.

Hermione's eyes widened. She stretched her leg and dipped her foot into the now heated water. She moaned. "Oh, you're amazing."

"Not just another pretty face."

She smirked over her shoulder at him. "But such a pretty face." She shrugged the quilt off her shoulders.

"What're you doing?" Harry questioned, sounding far more amused than he did confused.

"Take off your clothes," she ordered instead of answering.

Harry raised his eyebrows as he grinned. He watched Hermione slip into the now warm water. She twisted her hair up into a bun and secured it by sticking her wand through it before wading through the water.

Harry quickly cast a few spells on his glasses to protect them before shrugging off his quilt and boxers. He eased himself into the water and followed his wife out towards the floating dock. Hermione pulled herself up onto the dock and stretched out across the warm wood. Harry joined her a minute later.

The dock wobbled before evening out again. The two laid out together on the wood under the sun. Birds sang from the trees.

"I love it here," Harry claimed. He rested his head back against his hands.

Hermione hummed and curled onto her side. Her lashes fluttered lazily under the heat of the sun. "I still refuse to move here."

Harry nodded. "But we'll visit," he felt the urge to confirm. "A lot."

She laughed and settled her big brown eyes on him. "Yes, Harry. We will visit." She rose up on her elbow and rested her chin in her hand. "Yesterday was beautiful," she said dreamily. Her eyes travelled across the beautiful landscape of the water and distant trees.

Harry watched the sun glint off her tanned skin. Her beauty marks stood out, dancing across her body like the freckles on her nose. He licked his lips. Suddenly very insecure and not sure why, he asked, "Can I touch you?"

Hermione's eyes slowly slid back to him. She studied him before nodding in permission. Harry rolled closer on the floating dock. He trailed his fingers teasingly along her legs. His lips touched a beauty mark on her outer thigh. Hermione shivered. She laid back and closed her eyes. Harry took his time exploring her body in a way they had not done when they had sex only a few days prior. Every encounter had been lust filled and with the obvious end goal of satisfaction. This was different.

Harry's touches felt reverent. The way his lips sought out every mark on her body, beauty and scar alike, left her breathless. It filled her with the same feeling of love that had consumed her when she saw Harry waiting for her at the end of the aisle. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut against the tears. Laying there in the sun, surrounded by water, and so very far from all of the problems that awaited their return to the magical world, Hermione could almost fool herself into thinking that he loved her too. That maybe all of this would last.

She ran her hands over Harry's broad shoulders and down the smooth expanse of his back. His lips had reached her neck. His body snuck its way between her thighs and he rested comfortably against her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He didn't even need to see her face to feel her unease.

"Did you mean it?" she asked once she thought she could speak past the lump in her throat. Harry pulled back until he could see the tears in her eyes. He touched her face gently. "Your vows?" Hermione clarified.

She was thinking about what he had said about the Forest of Dean. Had he really truly been hoping to run away with her - the same way she had often fantasized about with him? How had he meant it, when he'd told her he loved her? Grams was convinced Harry was in love with her. Hermione found herself too afraid to hope.

Harry leaned closer. He gently ran his nose along hers. His lips ghosted across her own. "Every word." Hermione smiled. "Ready for The Wedding: Part Two?"

She rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face. "It's just the magical bonding ceremony."

He kissed her shoulder. "Do you think it'll hurt?"

Hermione laughed. "Harry! It's a glorified marriage contract. We're just signing some papers. We're not purebloods. I trust you not to sleep with anyone else. We don't need any of those fancy bonds."

"We should get the one that make you obey me," he teased.

Hermione glared at him, fighting a smile. "I'll push you into the water."

"That's not very obedient of you."

Her eyes narrowed. Her hands pressed against his shoulders at the same time that she twisted her hips and a second later, Harry splashed into the water. Hermione laughed at the sky. Her entire body shook.

Harry broke through the surface, sputtering lake water. His glasses had gone missing. He squinted at Hermione. A whispered spell later and the floating dock tipped. Hermione screamed as she fell into the water too.

When Hermione came up, Harry was treading water before her. "That's what you get for your disobedience."

Hermione pouted falsely. She swam closer and wrapped her arms and legs around his body. She pressed her chest against his as she nibbled at his ear. "I'm so sorry. However can I make it up to you?"

Harry grinned. "I got a couple of ideas."

:::

The next morning, Hermione woke up alone. Her fingers stretched across the cold mattress for the familiar body of her partner. When she found nothing, she slowly blinked an eye open. She focused her listening, but only heard the birdsong from a nearby sparrow.

Confused, Hermione sat up in the otherwise empty bed. Where the hell was Harry? She slipped out of bed and grabbed her silk dressing gown before heading downstairs. The stairs creaked as she moved through the silent cottage.

The first floor was just as empty and silent as the second. Hermione pursed her lips. Wondering if her bedmate had gone out to the dock, she made her way through the sliding screen door. She leaned against the wood railing of the deck. The sun was slowly warming the aged wood as it rose high into the sky.

A light breeze fluttered the pages of a nearby newspaper. Hermione turned to the wood picnic bench they used as their outdoor set. _The Prophet_ rustled as if annoyed that it had been previously overlooked.

Hermione's lip curled at the sight of the paper. Harry had to have gone out to get it. Luna had promised a copy of _The Quibbler_ would be waiting for them at home, but Harry had clearly grown too impatient to wait until then. The witch heaved a great sigh. Deciding to bite the bullet, she snatched up the paper and flipped to the headline.

"Potter's Fairytale Wedding," read the title in big, newsprint font. Beneath the title and taking up the majority of the front page was a massive picture of Harry and Hermione. Hermione's veil perfectly framed her face as she looked up at Harry from the end of the dock. They had their arms wrapped around one another and smiles on their faces. They looked like they were glowing. The backdrop of the lake and trees appeared inconsequential in comparison to the love in their eyes.

Hermione smiled. Winston had done a fantastic job. She opened the paper and looked through all the other photos. Her eyes teared even as her smile grew.

There was a shot of Harry dancing with Grams. Another of her and his first dance. The string lights that had hung above them looked magical in the fading light. There was a picture of Teddy sitting on her lap as she fed him bites of salmon.

It wasn't fair that the rest of the world got to see these things before her, but only a small part of her cared. The wedding had been so beautiful and filled with love. Hermione closed her eyes and clutched the paper to her chest. Despite everything, it really had been the most special day of her life.

A _pop_ sounded in the distance. Hermione quickly dropped the paper and wiped at her dry cheeks. She heard Harry moving through the cottage and called out to him.

His head popped through the backdoor and he smiled at the sight of her. "Morning, love."

Hermione hated herself a bit for the way his usual greeting made her heart skip a beat. "Hey." She raised her eyebrows when he stepped outside carrying a large takeout coffee cup. "What did you do?"

"Got a coffee for you?"

She narrowed her eyes and took his 'apology drink' as she'd taken to calling them years ago. She took a sip. It was a caramel latte with whip. Her eyes widened. "What did you _do_?"

Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. He made a face. "I found a house."

"You bought a house?" she exclaimed.

"Found! I _found_ a house," he reiterated, hoping his punishment would be less.

Hermione blinked and shook her head. "I - but..?"

"It's this place," he explained as he sat down at the picnic bench. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I told you I love it."

"We already own this place," she protested. She took another sip of her coffee. Hermione almost moaned allowed, it was so good.

He huffed out a laugh. "I'm well aware. I _mean_, I want something like it. Lots of land and nature, close to your family but either remote or magical enough that Teddy can turn himself every colour of the rainbow."

"And you found that?"

"I think so." A small grin stretched across his face. "It's in Witches Cove."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "That's one of the oldest magical villages in Southern England. It has historical ties to _Camelot_."

Harry's grin widened. "Yeah, well, the house isn't that old. But the property is ancient. The Potter's even owned it at one point."

"Really?"

"It was given to some lord or something as part of a dowry. It's changed hands several times since then."

"You were just there?" she confirmed, the excitement in her voice was obvious.

He nodded. "I'm still keyed into the wards for another hour. Want to take a look?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. She spun around and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. "Give me ten minutes."

She was ready in five. Hermione practically flew down the stairs in a bright summer dress fit for the day. Harry pulled her into his arms and turned them on the spot.

_Pop!_

Hermione blinked rapidly and shook her head. She looked around and her eyes immediately grew wide.

The house was situated at the top of a small incline. A long dirt road led up to the towering, three story high Victorian style home. They slowly made their way up the drive to better see the home. It was made of aged wood that had been painted a faded, minty green colour. White trimmings and a matching porch made it look like a storybook home come to life.

The property was surrounded by walls of stone and lined with tall juniper trees that provided ample amounts of privacy. Harry pointed out the twin wrought iron gates provided at the front and back ends of the property. The back gate led out to a private path through the thick woods that filled the horizon beyond the square plot of land.

He led her up the porch steps to get a closer look at the house itself. "It's massive," she whispered, in awe but also overwhelmed.

"A lot of it is just land."

"We'd need a team to manage upkeep."

"I figured we could hire people. There's a union of house elves that specialize in maintaining landscapes of bigger properties. They accept payment under the new laws."

Hermione smiled brightly. "The fact that you suggest that makes me inexplicably happy."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm angling for sex tonight."

She laughed loudly. "Well, you're definitely on the right track."

He winked. "Good to know." He nodded towards the tall, wide front door. It was painted white, the same as the window panes. There were three slots of glass in the door, each filled with stained glass. All of the windows in the house were artistically decorated with the same flowery stained glass in the upper third portion. "Want to take a look inside?"

"Definitely."

Within the front foyer was the main staircase, a small closet, and a long hall that led through the house and to the kitchen at the back. To the left of the entranced was the living room, which at one point would have been considered an entrance parlour of sorts. Within the room was the grandest, most beautifully designed fireplace that either of them had ever seen.

It was tall enough that Hermione barely had to duck at all to step inside. It was entirely white on the outside with black brick within. Stars had been handcrafted into the white stone. Hermione's fingers traced the patterns, stunned to realize that they mapped out the constellations.

"This is incredible," she breathed.

"I told you." He went through the sliding wood doors to the glass walled conservatory beside the living room. The floor was stone and the walls lined with long marble planters. It had clearly been designed with a magical family in mind. They would be able to plant and grow magical ingredients all year round. "I knew I wanted it when I saw this," he explained.

Hermione followed him into the brightly lit conservatory. The glass walls curved at the far corner and arched upwards where the room extended beyond where the second level began.

"I know you use a lot of potions when you work and this would be perfect for that. And if not that, it's a brilliant breakfast room."

"It's stunning," she agreed. She could imagine it filled with bright green leaves and blooming flowers.

"I don't know why it hasn't been bought yet. It's perfect."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She turned around in a full circle as she surveyed the house. Harry had a very good point and Hermione felt like the answer to his question was on the tip of her tongue.

The sliding wood doors that led to the kitchen opened of their own volition. Harry and Hermione tensed. No one else was in the house. Hermione smiled. "That's why," she explained. "That's why no one's bought this place, isn't it?" She stroked her hand along the wood.

Harry shot her a look. "Hermione?"

"Do you feel it?" she asked as she whirled around. "That energy?"

Harry blinked rapidly. "Like Hogwarts?" he asked hesitantly. He'd felt it when he'd first stepped foot on the property, but dismissed the feeling as a moment of nostalgia.

Hermione's smile grew as she nodded. "Hogwarts is built on ley lines. They're magical lines of natural energy in the earth. That's what makes it alive. The school isn't charmed to have magical rooms and moving staircases, it's slowly developed those things over time. As it ages, it grows in power. The more power in the school, the more powerful the school itself."

Harry walked towards her. He touched the sliding wood door. "You think the house is on a ley line?"

She shrugged. "I could look it up at work, but I'm betting it is. And if it _is_, and the property is as old as _Camelot_…?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Merlin, it'd be…"

"Practically sentient," Hermione answered. She looked up at the ceiling of the conservatory, which was designed with white mouldings. "No one owns the property, because I doubt this house would let anyone stay that it didn't approve of."

She stepped through the opened doors and into the kitchen. This room was massive. There was another fireplace with a hook and a cauldron. It definitely needed an update. The counters were falling apart and the cupboards had a few missing doors. It looked like the only part of the house that hadn't been maintained.

Just as the thought entered her mind, the cabinets flew out from the kitchen's storage room and back into place. Harry's eyes widened. "I think she's trying to dress herself up for us."

Hermione smiled at him over her shoulder. "I think she likes us."

"Lucky us," he quipped.

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. You did say the Potters used to own this land. She might be able to recognize your family magic." Her eyebrows drew together as she looked around. There was a door that led out onto the back porch. The hardwood floors needed a new coat of paint and a shine. It needed work, but Hermione could also easily see what Harry had loved about the house so much. "Does the property have a name?"

"Stinchcombe House."

"After your ancestor?" He nodded and shrugged. "No wonder the house is sprucing things up. Linfred Stinchcomb essentially started the Potter family line. Harry," she turned to him, a wondrous smile on her face, "this house is a part of your birthright."

A shiver ran down his spine at her words. The house seemed to agree with her statement as a grand piano hidden somewhere in the house began to play a pretty tune. Hermione laughed in astonishment. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"I can't believe you found this place," she stated as she led him back to the front of the house and towards the stairs.

"You can't believe it? _I_ can't believe it," he muttered. He shook his head. He followed her up the stairs and onto the second level.

The master bedroom was at the front of the house with large windows facing out onto the front of the patio. A second fireplace was attached to the first below. This one wasn't big enough to floo, but it was designed with the same monochromatic style and hand crafted constellations. There was an attached ensuite bathroom with a clawfoot tub and a double sink. Beside it was a door that led to a second room.

"This is way too big to be a closet," Hermione stated. There was a second door that led back out into the hallway.

"I was thinking a private library or study for you, actually."

Hermione gasped lightly. "Oh, I love that idea."

"Come on," he nodded towards the door. She followed him out and he showed her the other bedroom on the same floor. There was another bathroom that could be accessed through the hall. Up a second set of stairs there were two more bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom between. The third floor had a wide, open space by the top of the stairs that was big enough for a second living room. The wall had tall windows that looked out on the back of the property.

Hermione stood with her arms across her chest as she stared out the windows. The piano still played in the background. The entrance to the attic pulled down from above. Harry had pulled on the string as hard as he could, but the panel wouldn't give way. No amount of physical or magical strength could get it open. The only frustrating part about it was that the piano playing was definitely coming from up there.

"It needs a lot of work," Hermione stated. A door slammed shut downstairs. Hermione cringed. "Sorry!" she called out. "But it's true."

Harry laughed. "I mean, it does… but just little things. We can update the kitchen and the bathrooms. New paint, fresh floors. She'll be brand new." He rubbed a hand along the wall and the house seemed to settle under his touch.

Hermione almost rolled her eyes. "There's way too much magic here for anything muggle. We'll need a gas powered stove."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Thankfully, you've worked out how to have a tele work around magic safely. I don't think I can live without Audrey Hepburn."

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head. "Do we really need this many rooms?" Hermione asked.

Harry shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His shoulders hunched. "Well, we've never ready discussed it, but… How many kids do you want to have? We've already got one and we'll need to have one more, at least."

Hermione tilted her head to the side. "I… I was sort of hoping for two more boys."

"Two?" Harry questioned, his eyebrows raised.

"We already have a Remus, might as well have a James and Sirius. Collect the whole set."

The corner of Harry's mouth quirked upwards. "I always thought I'd name my son James Sirius Potter," he confided.

Hermione shook her head. "And risk Sirius haunting us for the rest of our lives for being relegated to middle name? Are you insane?"

Harry smiled. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her back into his chest. "And a girl?" he whispered as if asking for permission.

Hermione pursed her lips. Her eyes focused on the forest beyond the stone fence surrounding the property. "I like the name Rose. I know it's not your mum's name, but it is a flower name and-"

"-I like the name Rose," Harry interrupted. "Maybe we could do the middle name as some sort of variant on Lily?"

Hermione tilted her head to the side in thought. Harry pressed a kiss to her neck. "Rose Lilian Potter."

He smiled against the skin of her neck. "That's perfect." Harry pulled back and turned her around in his arms. "I don't know 'bout you, but I think we just exceeded the number of bedrooms we've got."

"Not if we make the study into a bedroom," Hermione argued.

Harry wrinkled his nose. "I think little Rosie might like a bedroom without a door that connects to her parents."

"Ugh," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Rose is so high maintenance."

"She must get it from her mum."

"Said the Chosen One!" she laughed.

* * *

Wow. WOW. I finally posted. PART TWO BABIES. I hope you enjoyed this little bit of the honeymoon. Next chapter we jump back into real life.

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post. I've had this for a while but I ran into some trouble in later chapters. I needed to make sure everything was okay before I posted, in case I needed to go back and edit these first few.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm now living and working in South Korea! I teach these itty bitty little kindergarten students and they're so friggen precious. Wednesday I leave for a three day visit to Japan! It's going to be wild! I'll bring my tablet and camp out at a few cafes to write, if I have the time xD

Thanks for reading!

xx


	11. xii

.xii.

Hermione was frantically cleaning the flat. They'd just gotten back from the cottage and upon seeing the state of her perfectly clean home, she'd immediately decided it was a mess. After the first severe scolding, Harry had decided to let her be. He knew she was nervous.

Teddy was coming to live with them today.

It wasn't like either of them was unused to his godson's presence, but this would be decidedly different from a weekend together filled with chocolate and movies. He was moving to a little flat, a much smaller bedroom, and then he was going to be thrust into daycare. She was worried that Teddy wouldn't cope well and would grow to resent them.

Harry didn't think it would go that way, but telling Hermione that would do very little. She wouldn't believe it until she saw it. He knew that about her.

He'd moved into the kitchen to make a nice lunch for everyone. Hermione was currently cleaning the underside of their bed. For what reason, Harry didn't know. He decided it was smarter not to ask.

"What time do you work tomorrow?" he called into the bedroom. A black ball of fur shot out of the bedroom and into the living room. Harry froze. "Bloody hell, was that a cat?"

Hermione's head popped out of the bedroom. "You knew I had a cat."

"I knew you claimed you had a cat."

She scowled at him. "I have a cat."

"Apparently." He looked in the direction the cat had gone but couldn't see or hear anything. The black ball of fur had completely vanished again.

She huffed at his sardonic response. "What time is it?" Hermione brushed the lint and dust off her clothes as she stepped into the small kitchen space.

"Almost half-past."

"They'll be here soon."

"Hermione…" He stepped around the counter and drew her into his embrace. "Teddy loves you. There's nothing to be worried about."

"His bedroom is the size of a shoebox. Stinchcombe House won't be ready for months considering how much we work, which by the way, we both work ridiculous hours how are we ever going to finish that place? And Teddy is going to despise daycare. Not to mention the fact that one of my best friends still hates me."

Harry tightened his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. "Teddy isn't fussy. We'll figure everything else out." He licked his lips and then hesitantly revealed, "Ginny and I talked."

Hermione pulled back just enough so that she could see his face. "When?"

"A few weeks ago?" She pinched his arm. "Ow!" He pulled back and rubbed the abused skin. "Sorry, you were stressed with the wedding. I didn't want to mention it."

"What happened?"

Harry shrugged. "Closure. She mentioned she's going away with Zabini before they get married. He doesn't work and she's off season because of everything so…"

Hermione clenched her jaw. She wasn't mad at him, but she was a little upset to be left out of the loop. "When is she leaving?"

"Soon, I think. She said she was sorry for what she said to you at Ron's wedding."

Hermione's head shot up. "She told you about that?" Her eyes were wide, her voice incredulous.

Harry's brow furrowed. "No, not exactly. She just mentioned that she'd said some things she shouldn't have and that she was sorry." He narrowed his eyes on her, suddenly very curious as to what had actually transpired between the two. "Which, by the way, you hadn't told _me_ about either."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "Sorry. It was an argument, we both said things we shouldn't have. You were already upset about everything." Hermione bit her thumbnail as she thought. "I - I'll be right back."

"'Mione?" he called after her as she headed back for the bedroom.

She paused at the door and looked back at him. "I just… do you think it'd be weird if I sent her a letter?" She shifted on her feet. "I don't want to make her angry, but I'd like to know we can start fresh again when she comes back."

Harry fought back the smile that threatened to stretch across his face. "You want to start fresh with her?"

Hermione shrugged. "We fought in a war together. At the end of the day, everything else just seems trivial. I don't imagine things will ever be the same, but that doesn't mean I don't want to try."

"I love you."

Hermione's cheeks tinged pink. "I love you too." She turned and disappeared back into the bedroom.

The floo flared to life not long later. Andy and Teddy tumbled out of the fireplace. "Uncle Harry!" Teddy exclaimed, sounding like he'd consumed all the sugar in England.

"Hey, Ted!" Harry entered the living room and pulled his godson into a tight hug. He stood with the five year old still in his arms. "Andy," he greeted warmly, "how are you?"

The older witch smiled tiredly at Harry. She pressed a kiss to his cheek in greeting. "As good as can be expected. Congratulations, again." Her auburn hair was pulled back into its usual high bun. She had smile lines at her eyes and her mouth, the only signifiers of her ageing.

Harry smiled, his face warm. "Thanks." He turned to his godson. "Want to see your room?"

"Yes!" Teddy shouted, his arms in the air.

He set Teddy back on his feet and led him over to the magically enlarged room he'd created a few days prior. It was a light green with a white bed. Under the frame were drawers for the built in dresser. There was a toy chest under the window for his things and a side table stuck into the wall next to the bed. Harry had decorated the walls with pictures of Remus and Tonks as well as photos of Teddy with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione.

"Cool!" Teddy exclaimed. He jumped up on the bed to inspect one of the photos.

"Careful, Teddy," Andy warned from where she and Harry stood in the doorway. She raised her eyebrows at him. "It's a bit small."

Harry winced. "It's the best we could do. We bought a house, but it needs several upgrades before it's livable."

"I didn't know that. Is it in a magical neighbourhood?"

"Witches Cove."

Andy's eyes widened, suitably impressed.

"Andy?" Hermione came around the corner and into the living room. "Hi! How are you?"

"Hermione," Andy greeted the younger witch. The two of them hugged before moving into the kitchen to make tea. "Congratulations on the new home."

"Oh! Thank you." She put the pot to boil. "It's rather lovely. Once it's all done, we'll bring everyone around to see it." Hermione set three mugs on the counter next to the food Harry had been preparing. "Now, how's everything with you?" she asked on a more serious note.

The older witch sighed tiredly. She sat down at the kitchen island. "Sebastian is… stubborn. I went to school with him. He was a Ravenclaw a few years above me. We never really crossed paths that much." She waved a hand. "He's prejudiced like any pureblood."

Hermione leaned forward on the island, concern radiating off of her in waves. When last they spoke, Andromeda had been too upset to speak much about her fiancé in any detail. "How is he to you?"

Andy rolled her eyes. "Tolerant, would be the best word for it. He has two daughters, nine and twelve. It actually annoys me how lovely they are." She shook her head. "Sebastian is running his home like any elitist pureblood with strict rules and etiquette lessons. It's terrible. I ran away from this life for a reason."

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do something."

Andy reached across the counter and took her hand. She shook her head. "His daughters are wonderful. I find him as tolerable as he finds me. The only downside is giving up Teddy." Her eyes watered and she took a steadying breath. "I'd rather him be here than in that man's home."

"We'll look after him," Hermione promised.

Andy smiled, tears still in her eyes. "I know, darling. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do if you and Harry weren't here for us. He's been so excited." She looked like she'd swallowed a pill when she said the last part.

"The excitement will fade," Hermione replied, knowingly.

Andy sniffed and wiped away a tear. "I've absolutely no doubt about it. Luckily for you, Teddy is as adaptable as his hair."

Adaptable or not, Teddy was no Gryffindor. This fact became incredibly clear when Harry and Hermione sat him down before dinner - long after Andy had left - and told him about daycare.

"But I don't wanna go!" the little boy cried.

"It's going to be okay, Teddy. You're going to have fun!" Hermione enthused.

Teddy's cheeks went red and his eyes filled with tears. He looked like a bomb about to explode. Harry immediately pulled the boy into his lap. "Alright, it's alright. Deep breaths, buddy."

Teddy did as he was told, taking deep breaths through the hiccups brought on by his near meltdown. "Now think about your words. Why don't you want to go?"

He rubbed his eyes and sniffled. "I - I want to stay with you."

Harry hugged his godson close. "You are staying with us. You aren't going anywhere. But your Auntie 'Mione and I need to go to work. We can't leave you here all alone all day."

"I wanna go to grandma's," he cried.

Harry rubbed his hand up and down Teddy's back, hoping to soothe the boy. Hermione tried not to be affected by his tears. Gently, she explained, "Grandma… Grandma is busy. You'll get to see her at the Burrow on Friday."

Teddy pouted and Hermione didn't blame him for being upset. He was used to seeing Andy everyday. One a week was a poor consolation prize when compared to that.

"I think you'll like daycare," Harry reasoned. "There'll be lots of other kids for you to play with. They have games and toys. They've got a playground."

"With a slide?" he asked, intrigued.

"A curly one and a straight one."

"You went?" Teddy looked up at Harry with big, innocent eyes.

"Hermione and I both went to look at it. We thought you'd have a lot of fun there, and that's why we chose it," Harry told him honestly.

Hermione reached forward and brushed a lock of black hair from the boy's eyes. "Let's give it a try, yes?" Teddy shrugged and nodded. He leaned further into Harry's embrace.

Harry comforted him with another reassuring stroke up and down his back. "We'll both drop you off and we won't leave until you're sure you'll be alright."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Harry pressed another kiss to the top of his head. "It's our first night together, let's do something fun." When he got no response from Teddy, he continued with an excited whisper, "How 'bout a _blanket fort_?"

The little boy's eyes immediately widened. Together, the three of them constructed an elaborate fort with hanging blankets for doors. In a moment of inspiration, Harry almost toppled the tele when he tried to secure a blanket over it. He was determined to make the fort without magic.

Hermione made popcorn on the stovetop, one of her few kitchen talents. Harry and Teddy argued over films, eventually settling on 'Singin' in the Rain."

Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds sang a long, beautiful duet together whilst Teddy watched, transfixed.

Hermione leaned into Harry's side and rested her head on his shoulder. "This is nice," she whispered.

"I've always wanted to build a blanket fort."

Hermione looked at him incredulously. "I can't believe you haven't before." It wasn't all that surprising that it'd been left out of his childhood, considering his aunt and uncle. She supposed his life had been rather busy since the end of the war. One didn't become a healer in the children's ward at St. Mungo's in five years without working restlessly.

Harry shrugged and smiled easily. "Well, I have now."

She grinned and looked around. "It's a pretty good fort too."

Harry glanced towards Teddy, where he was eating popcorn and watching the movie. He turned back to his wife and kissed her softly. "The best."

She smiled against his lips before kissing him again. Harry raised a hand to her cheek as his tongue pressed past her lips.

"Hey!"

The two broke apart.

Teddy glared at them. "I want kisses too!"

Hermione's cheeks turned bright red. She laughed. "Oh, you do, do you?" He gave two big nods. Hermione grabbed the boy and pulled him in between her and Harry. She attacked his face with kisses as her fingers tickled his sides. Tessy squealed as he squirmed.

Harry watched on, a smile on his face and his heart feeling weightless in his chest.

:::

Hermione rubbed her lotion into her hands and forearms as she exited the bedroom.

"Pancakes, waffles, or french toast?" Harry asked as he leaned back against the headboard. He watched his wife putter about the room as she got ready for bed. She had her curls pulled up onto her head. A pink slip clung to her body, teasing him with what he knew was hidden beneath.

She hummed as she considered her options. "You know, you're making me fat with all this cooking."

"Yes," he agreed in a deadpan voice, "I'm sure it's far worse that living off takeout."

"I'm glad we agree."

"Come here," he held out his hand and Hermione smirked as she crawled across the bed to him. She took his hand and pulled herself up to straddle his waist. His hands gripped her thighs. "I don't see any difference."

"Keep looking."

His hands slid up to palm her arse. "These feel as good as always."

Hermione leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. She pushed her arse back into his hands. Her chest grazed against his bare one. "Anything else?" His fingers trailed up her back. Her pink slip slowly rose up as it caught on his hands.

A magical tingle ran through both of them, alerting them to a ward being tripped. Hermione looked over her shoulder. A door clicked shut.

Quick as a flash, Hermione rolled off of Harry's lap and to her side of the bed. Their bedroom door opened a second later. Teddy poked his head inside. "I wanna snuggle." He had one of his many wolf plushies clutched to his chest. This one wearing a Weasley Wizard Wheezes outfit, gifted from George.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Is that so?" she laughed. She turned and raised her eyebrows at Harry.

He pointed his finger at Teddy. "Just this once."

Teddy cheered and raced across the room. He climbed up onto the bed with his toy and burrowed his way under the covers between the two of them. Hermione laid down beside him and he snuggled close to her body, pressing his head against her chest. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled over his curly hair to her husband.

"Honeymoon's over," she whispered.

Harry had the softest, sweetest smile on his face. He leaned over Teddy and kissed her gently. He didn't say anything, but his lingering affections told her just how much he didn't care about honeymoons. This is what he wanted.

Teddy's little hand pushed back against Harry's chest, breaking his and Hermione's kiss. "Sleep now," he ordered in a tired voice.

Harry grinned at his bossy little godson. He pressed a kiss to the boy's head. "Alright, sleep tight, Teddy." Teddy hummed sleepily in response. Harry pressed a kiss to Hermione's forehead. "Night, love."

"Night," she whispered back.

Hermione had only closed her eyes when suddenly she was being awoken again. She blinked blearily and turned her head away from the hand lightly shaking her awake.

"Hermione? Hermione, wake up," Harry whispered.

She groaned and rolled onto her back. Teddy grizzled in his sleep and shuffled closer to her side. "Harry?" Hermione mumbled. She rubbed her eyes.

"I have to go into work," he explained. He was dressed in his healing robes and standing by her side of the bed.

She frowned at him. "What?"

"I got floo called. It's an emergency."

"What about daycare?" she immediately protested. She rubbed her eyes again, though she suddenly felt much more awake.

He winced. "I'll meet you there." She sighed. Teddy wasn't going to be upset, they both knew it. Harry raised a hand to her cheek. "I will be there," he swore.

She nodded tiredly. "Go on, go. I'll see you at daycare. Don't be late," she hissed as he kissed her forehead and made a dash for the door. Hermione rolled her eyes and curled back into bed with Teddy.

A few hours later, her alarm went off. Hermione groaned, feeling like she hadn't slept a wink. Teddy was already stretching as he woke. She was mildly annoyed to note he did not look the least bit tired. Hermione turned off her alarm and quietly disappeared into the washroom.

When she returned to the bedroom, Teddy had rolled over and gone back to sleep. She snorted lightly in amusement. Harry always did the exact same thing. He had to set two alarms most mornings.

"Come on, Teddy Bear," Hermione urged. She brushed back his naturally blond bangs. His hair always returned to its natural shade when he slept. "How about some cereal?"

Teddy nodded, still half asleep. He raised his arms. Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled him up. She huffed at the weight of him in her arms. "Fruit Loops or Golden Grahams?" Hermione asked as she rubbed his back. She exited the bedroom and went to the cabinet with the cereal.

Teddy rested his head on her shoulder with his arms around her neck. "Both," he mumbled.

Hermione smiled and grinned. "Ah, a Granger specialty. Grams and Gramps will be pleased I'm rubbing off on you." She pulled both boxes from the cabinet and placed them on the breakfast counter.

Teddy smiled and sleepily nuzzled against her neck. "I like Grams and Gramps."

"Me too."

"They were at the wedding," he informed her, sounding like he was starting to wake up.

Hermione sat him down at the breakfast bar. "My whole family was. Would you like to go see Grams and Gramps again?"

Teddy nodded. He watched her pour both cereals and milk into the bowl. "Okay. Can we make ice cream again?"

She turned the coffee maker on. "Sure! Gramps likes to play with flavours. His worst was a chocolate-pistachio." Teddy made a face. Hermione laughed. "Yeah, it was gross. His best, however, was a strawberry-chocolate-caramel crunch."

Teddy swallowed his mouth full of cereal and said, "We can take him to Floresque's!"

Hermione smiled. "That is a brilliant idea. I don't know why I never thought of that. We'll call him up when we get home tonight and see if he'd like to go on Saturday, yes?"

Teddy's smile fell. "Do I have to go?"

She hid her wince. "You can't stay here all day, sweetie."

He pouted. "Where's Uncle Harry?"

"He's going to meet us at the daycare." Before Teddy could protest, she continued, "And just like we said yesterday, we're not leaving until you're sure you'll be okay." She leaned forward on the counter and gave him a secretive smile. "Just between you and me? I think you're going to _love_ it there. It's like one big playground."

Teddy didn't look convinced, but he didn't protest.

After breakfast, she helped him pick out some clothes before dashing off to change as well. Hermione glanced at her watch before she pulled her hair up into a sloppy bun. It would have to do. They were running late. Getting ready in the morning was infinitely harder when she was dashing back to Teddy's room every five minutes to check on him. Twice she found him sitting in his underpants and playing with his toys.

"Almost done?" she called into the bathroom. The door from her bedroom was opened, allowing her to keep an eye on him brushing his teeth. He was standing on a stool she'd transfigured so he could see himself in the mirror. He replied in some sort of garbled mess with his mouth full of toothpaste.

Hermione smiled to herself. She pulled up her high waisted pencil skirt, zipping it up as she ducking into the loo. She smiled at Teddy's reflection. "You look like a mad dog."

Teddy made a face in the mirror and growled in response.

Hermione laughed. She grabbed his toothbrush and rinsed it off. "Spit please." Teddy did so while Hermione filled a plastic cup with water. He washed his mouth out. She wiped his face of any remaining toothpaste before giving him the once over. "Alright, I think we're good to go."

Teddy looked at her and laughed. He poked her camisole. "You need a shirt."

"Oh! My blouse." She dashed back into the bedroom and pulled on her pink, see-through blouse. "Grab your jacket and I'll help with your shoes!"

"Can I wear wellies?"

Hermione paused briefly as she stepped into her heels. "I don't see why not?" Her parents had always encouraged her weird clothing choices as a child. Considering how much of an odd duck Tonks had been, Hermione thought the other witch would have been proud to see her son wearing wellies on a perfectly sunny day.

They met at the floo, Hermione in her work attire and Teddy clad in wellies, a rainbow sweater, and holding his Wizard Wheezes toy wolf. "Are you sure you want to take Moony?"

Teddy hugged the toy close and nodded.

She bent down and waved her wand. "There. I placed a charm on it so it won't get lost. If you can't find it, it'll be waiting for you here when you get home."

He hugged her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks, Auntie 'Mione."

She stroked his cheek. "No problem, Teddy Bear."

"Are we late?"

Hermione looked down at her watch. She huffed out a laugh. "Very late." She picked the little boy up under his arms as she stood and placed him on her hip. "Let's go." Hermione stepped into the fireplace and flooed to the daycare.

Teddy sneezed when they stepped out into the visitors entrance. It was a rectangular room with chairs lining each wall and an open archway that led into the main entrance. Harry jumped to his feet.

"Hey! What happened?"

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy greeted with a big wave.

"Hey buddy." He kissed Teddy's cheek and pulled him into his arms. "Nice outfit."

"Thanks. I choosed it myself," he informed Harry, self importantly.

"I had very little doubt about that." His gaze shifted to Hermione. "You're never late."

Hermione shrugged. She felt like she'd run a marathon. "I don't usually have a five year old to look after as well. I need to wake up earlier."

"I'll be there too," Harry protested.

Hermione smiled wanly. "I'll wake up earlier."

He looked like he wanted to argue the point further, but Teddy began squirming and he set the boy down. "Come on, Ted. Let's show you around."

Teddy took to the daycare as easily as Harry knew he would. There were games, painting areas, and building blocks. It was a great mixture of both magical and muggle children toys. There was also plenty of children. Teddy was exactly like his mother, stumbling about and making friends with the ease of a simple smile and flash of bright hair.

Harry and Hermione stood at the door of one of the playrooms where Teddy was chatting amiably and colouring. Hermione glanced down at her watch again. "Okay, I really need to head out now. Can you pick him up? I might need to stay late."

"No problem." He ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry again, about this morning."

Hermione waved a hand. "It's fine. I work more than three of any of my coworkers put together. Head Unspeakable Spratt won't say anything." She turned and caught Teddy's attention. She gave a wave.

The little boy jumped to his feet and raced over. "You're leaving?"

"I have to go to work now. But you'll be okay." He nodded in agreement. She gave him a big kiss before letting Harry say his own goodbyes.

"I'll be here to pick you up at five and then we can make dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

"Have fun." He gave Teddy a hug. "I love you, Ted."

"Love you too, Uncle Harry."

Once Teddy was seated and colouring once more, they took their leave. They slowly made their way back to the visitors entrance where the floo laid. "Do you usually have to work a full shift on top of your extra hours?" Hermione asked.

"Sometimes," Harry replied with a shrug. "Not today. I'll be done a bit after lunch. But I think Teddy needs a routine, so we should get him used to spending the day here now."

She nodded. "That's a good idea."

"I also thought it'd be a good opportunity to get a head start on the house. I'm going to make a list of the things that need to be done and start contacting people to work on the place."

"You want to contract out?"

Harry shrugged. "Like you said yesterday, we both work a lot. I don't see us being able to do it on our own." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'll see you at home?"

"See you."

:::

The second Hermione stepped into her office, she knew something was wrong. She paused at the threshold, her hand on the doorknob and her entire body tense. Someone had been in her office. Papers had been moved. Files shifted. Her chair had been shifted two inches to the left.

It was moments like this that Hermione loved her nearly perfect memory.

She closed and warded the door behind her. Every unspeakable office had specialized wards that were keyed to the unspeakables magic. No average witch or wizard could have broken into her office. Not even an elite curse-breaker could have managed it.

Another unspeakable? That was a worrisome thought.

Hermione swept her wand around and checked for every known curse or trap she could think of. She didn't find anything, which could mean one thing. They'd taken something.

Hermione raced across the small office. Behind her desk were her file cabinets. She pulled each one open and systematically searched through them. They seemed fine. Regardless, Hermione followed her pre-set protocol.

To her left was a large landscape portrait. It was magical, with frolicking animals and billowing trees. Most witches and wizards kept secrets in their magical portraits, may it be through the person who resided in the portrait or by magically putting an object into the portrait. Hermione had done neither.

She waved her wand and the portrait levitated to the floor. Behind it was a muggle styled safe. Instead of numbers, the buttons depicted magical runes. She put in the correct sequence and followed it up by inserting her wand into the hole in the safe. Hermione turned it and the safe clicked open.

Inside the safe, Hermione had her beaded purse from the war. The purse had been filled with nonperishables, money, and all the camping essentials. It also had muggle money, ID's, and passports from three countries around the world. It was her safety bag. Next to her bag was a stack of smooth flat stones. She pulled a few of them out until she found the one she was looking for. Each were identified with a unique symbol. They weren't runes, but made to vaguely resemble them. She had done it deliberately, so if anyone happened to get their hands on them, they'd be stuck trying to translate exactly what the runes meants. In fact, they meant nothing. They were just images for her to differentiate the stones.

She wasn't paranoid. She was prepared.

Hermione held the stone she was looking for in her hand. She pushed her magic out through her magical core, through her chest to her arms and down to her fingers. Her magic pushed into the enchanted stone. A pulse flared out from the stone.

Hermione opened her eyes.

She had made this particular stone after an associate made inquiries after a study she had been conducting. Work was meant to be separate and totally private, but there was still inner-office competition. The last thing she wanted was another person taking credit for her research.

Thus, Hermione had created one of her first magical stones. She keyed every single document to the stone. When she activated the spell as she had just done, any stolen documents would immediately disintegrate. Any copied documents would become blank.

Hermione quickly replaced the stone. She closed the safe, took her wand and levitated the painting back into place. She'd only sat down behind her desk for a moment when there was a knock at the door. She waved her wand to lower the wards.

Unspeakable Barrie stuck his head into her office. "Oh, thank Merlin you're here. We've got a meeting."

Hermione shot forward. "A meeting? Since when?"

"Spratt sent out memos to everyone's office late last night. The meeting started ten minutes ago."

Hermione rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, god. He's going to kill me." She stood quickly and followed Barrie out into the hall.

Barrie shot her a look. "Please, Spratt loves you."

"Spratt loves firewhiskey, he tolerates everyone and everything else." She fixed her hair self consciously as Barrie and she fast-walked to the conference room.

"Everything alright?" Barrie asked awkwardly. Hermione looked at him sidelong. "You're never late," he clarified.

"It was our first morning with Teddy."

"The godson, right?"

Hermione nodded.

He opened the door for her when they reached the conference room. The first face she saw was the swallow, puffy eyed face of Unspeakable Wallace. The man smirked at her lateness. Hermione bristled. She glared frostily at him as she made her way to the vacant seat next to the one Barrie took.

"Glad you could join us, Granger," Spratt's deep, gruff voice called from the front of the conference room. Hermione winced and smiled tightly in apology.

"Isn't it _Potter_ now?" Wallace questioned in his reedy voice. He shot her a smarmy grin. "Congratulations, Potter. How was the wedding night?"

"Shut up, Wallace," Spratt barked. "That's sexual harassment." Wallace's mouth dropped open in outraged disbelief. He shot Hermione a glare that told her he clearly thought this to be her fault. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Spratt.

"Eyes up front, people," Spratt called. "Back to what I was saying. The new protocols will fall to those who work in the following areas: the Rem Room, the Hall of Time, the Death Chamber, Experimentation, and Exploration." He handed out a stack of parchments that were slowly passed around. Hermione took her copy before passing the rest on. Her eyes quickly scanned the protocols. "I don't want anymore accidents. What happened with Unspeakable Garrison could have been avoided."

Hermione leaned forward and whispered to Barrie, "What happened to Garrison?"

Barrie leaned back and replied under his breath, "There was an accident with the Door in the Rem Room. She's trapped."

"Still?" Hermione's eyes widened. The Rem Room was used to travel to alternate realities. The Door which sent people to other worlds had been in use for centuries. The last accident had been during the first muggle world war.

"They don't think they can get her back. It happened just before your wedding."

Hermione quickly turned her attention back to the front of the room.

"With that said," Spratt continued, "everyone is required to go over their current proposals. Any and all cases will be suspended until approved by me." Groans met his announcement. "Oi! If your case proposals don't follow the new protocols, go back to the drawing board." He raised his hands when the Unspeakables began to protest. "No exceptions! Everyone get back to work. Granger - Potter - whatever the fuck your name is now, my office."

Hermione sighed under her breath. She collected the parchment of new protocols and followed her boss into his office. She took a seat across from his great oak desk.

"I'm so sorry I was late, sir."

Spratt waved his hand. "It's fine. I'm pretty positive it's the first time it's happened since you started working here four years ago."

"Unfortunately, I don't think it'll be the last."

Spratt raised a single bushy grey eyebrow at her. His face was expressionless. He was rather famous for the fact that no one could ever tell what he was thinking or feeling. "I want to pull you from Experimentation."

Hermione felt her stomach drop. Her face flushed with embarrassment, the way it always did when she thought she'd failed at something. "Sir, I won't be late _that_ often."

Spratt shook his head. "I don't care about that. You could be late and leave early everyday and you'd still be doing more than the average unspeakable." Hermione wanted to smile at the praise, but it didn't discount the fact that he was essentially firing her from her favourite department. "You're one of the only unspeakables I have with the ability to specialize in two areas at once. You've been balancing Research and Experimentation for the last two years and you've been nothing short of brilliant."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione responded with feeling. Spratt didn't give out compliments lightly. Hermione probably would never forget his words.

"But," he continued and she tensed immediately, "I want you more focused on a single area. You'd make more progress and to keep you from getting bored," he raised an eyebrow at her, "you could pick up extra cases."

Hermione took in a deep breath. She shook her head. "I don't want to be in Research full-time. I'm sorry, sir, but I did that when I was an intern. It's not for me."

Spratt nodded. "I'm well aware. You're too intelligent to be wasting away in Research for the rest of your life. I want to move you into Development full-time."

Hermione blinked in shock. Development, also sometimes referred to as Construction, was where Unspeakables applied their research and experiments. They made spells, charms, and magical objects for general use of the magical public. The first magical development that the department had ever come out with had been magical paintings.

"You've a sharp mind and a good head for it," Spratt was saying. "It has the benefit of not being as… constrictive as Experimentation."

"Sir?"

Spratt sighed and looked away. It was one of the few tells Hermione had picked up on in the past four years. He was uncomfortable. "I'm not blind to this new law, even if I'm not affected. There'll be changes throughout the wizarding world. I don't want to lose you because you can't work in one of many areas we have in this Department. You're an asset to us… Potter."

He was referencing the baby she would be required to have in the next five years. Once she got pregnant, her magical levels would become unstable. Stable magical levels had always been one of the main requirements to conduct experiments. All experiments were cast in the Chamber, which automatically checked the users magical levels. That requirement had not been altered with the list of new protocols - Hermione had checked.

"I - uhmm… thank you, sir. But you can rest assured that there will be no _changes_ for a few years yet." Harry and her agreed. No baby. Not any time soon at least. She smiled awkwardly. "I will, however, think about it."

"That's all I ask. I think you'd like Development. I'd even give you free reign to work on whatever projects you want."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to bribe me?"

Spratt fixed her with an inscrutable look."Just keeping your options open."

She smiled. "Thank you, sir. I'll keep you updated." For a moment, she considered telling Spratt about the possible break in. She had no proof and technically she'd already taken care of the problem. She also had no idea what they might have copied or taken.

Hermione left her boss' office and headed back to her own. It wasn't the first time someone had gone snooping through her things. She'd handle it herself.

:::

"So, we have to remodel the bathrooms and the kitchen," Harry explained as he chopped peppers. The tele played in the background. Teddy sang along loudly with his kids show. "The plumbing needs to be redone and we need to put in electrical wiring."

"How long will this take?" Hermione asked. She stole a slice of red bell pepper and hummed happily at the sweet taste.

"Oh, that's just the start. We need to redo the floors, retile the bathrooms and kitchen, and paint everything over again. The roof needs to be patched up and I'm thinking we might as well fix up the deck while we're at it."

Hermione groaned. "Why did we buy this thing?"

"Because it's beautiful and we both fell in love with it," he immediately responded.

She dropped her face into her hands. "How much has the house fixed up itself?"

"Not much. I think she wants a spruce up." Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine," he told her. He turned to the oven and tossed the peppers into the stirfry he was making.

"When will it be ready, do you think?"

"Awhile," he immediately responded. "I got in touch with some contractors and they'll start with the plumbing and electrical at the end of the week."

"It's the electrical system I created, right? The one that allows magic?"

He turned around and leaned across the counter. He pressed a peck to her lips. "Yup, you're brilliant, you know that? I don't know how you create these things. Maybe you should take that move Spratt offered."

Hermione made a face. "I love Experimentation," she argued.

"Because it leads to you discovering new things. Wouldn't creating new magical spells and objects also do that?" He wasn't trying to push her into it. He sounded genuinely confused as to why she hadn't considered Development as a career before.

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this." She also didn't want to talk about the fact that she was sure that someone had broken into her office. It felt like a problem she needed to deal with for herself. How much she'd already told Harry about the Department of Mysteries was probably enough to have her written up, she didn't need to add to it.

Harry nodded. "Okay." He pulled the stirfry off the burner before turning back to her. "Can we talk about this morning?" Hermione sighed again. "It won't happen everyday," Harry assured her, referring to his being called out of bed in the middle of the night and leaving her to take care of Teddy all alone.

"But it does happen, and fairly often. No," she said with a raised hand to forestall his words, "don't try to protest, Harry. I know it does. You spent the last month here with me. I know how often you get called in. It's completely random but it does happen."

Harry rested his hands on the counter and leaned forward. "It's because I pick up other people's patients when they transfer or go on leave. I'll stop. I need to be here too."

"I don't want you to sacrifice your work." He wasn't asking her to sacrifice her own by having a baby right away even though she knew he'd be over the moon if she got pregnant sooner rather than later.

"It's a small sacrifice. I still have all my own patients. It'll cut down on the amount of extra hours I spend there. Teddy's not the only one who needs a routine. We're both used to working whatever hours we want, but we can't do that anymore. You can't work overnight anymore. I know you like to pull a double and get home at six am, but it's just not feasible with Teddy."

"I know that," she responded, not able to keep the defensive tone out of her voice.

"I'm just saying, I'm going to cut back. That will help us get out the door so you can be at work on time and at home on time too. No staying late."

She nodded once and asked, "What are the rules on bringing work home?"

Harry made a face and shrugged. "I don't know? I guess we'll have to play it by ear. You've switched over your days, right?" He got out the bowls and glasses for dinner.

"Yes, we are both on the same schedule. Fridays and Saturdays are our weekends." Hermione filled two glasses with water and one with apple juice for Teddy.

"Brilliant. Did you want to pick tiles and colours for the bathrooms and kitchens this weekend?" He filled each bowl with stir fry for Hermione to set on the counter. "Sandy, our contractor, said the sooner the better."

"Sure. Oh, and Teddy mentioned bringing Gramps to Diagon Alley to visit Floresque's, and I thought that was a rather brilliant idea. Saturday?"

"Gramps will love that!" he laughed. "Saturday it is." He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "I'm glad we talked."

Hermione smiled and wiped a smudge of lipstick from his mouth. "Who knew you could be such an adult about things?"

"Oh, it's all pretend. I'm going to go colour with Teddy in the blanket fort after dinner."

"We can put the pictures on the fridge," she quipped. Harry laughed.

* * *

I'm still alive! Hope you enjoy this and sorry for being missing for so long. Life is very hectic. I haven't worked on this story in a while and I'm completely blocked on my current chapter for it. It's driving me nuts. Send me kind thoughts to help work on it 3

xx


	12. xiii

.xiii.

Hermione and Harry both awoke with a shiver when Teddy's ward went off. Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes. Hermione pushed herself up onto her elbows. She waited, wondering if it was a false alarm and the little boy had only gone to the loo.

Sure enough, their bedroom door opened a second later. The tear-stained face of their ward came into the room. He had his oldest wolf plushie in his arms as he cried.

Hermione held out her hand. "Come here, sweetie." Teddy stumbled towards the bed and gratefully allowed himself to be pulled into her arms. She turned onto her side and fit the crying boy between her and Harry. "Shh… sweetie. It's okay. I've got you."

Teddy snuggled into her chest as he sobbed. It was the fourth time in the past two weeks that he'd awoken them with his nightmares. Hermione met Harry's tired eyes over Teddy's head. They had to do something about this.

Hermione pressed a kiss to Teddy's head as she soothed him back to sleep.

In the morning, Harry got up earlier than usual. His movements, although quiet, woke Teddy and the boy left to watch tele in the living room. Hermione groaned and stretched in the bed after he had left.

"This can't go on," she lamented. She frowned and pressed a hand to the ache in her stomach.

Harry sighed as he knotted his tie. "It's because of all the changes. He's having a hard time adjusting."

She turned onto her side and curled her legs up under her. "He seems fine."

Harry turned around and frowned at her position on the bed. "That's where the nightmares come in. And the random tantrums he's been having." He walked around the bed and sat down on the edge behind her. He pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Yeah, he's not very prone to them, is he?" Hermione leaned into his touch with a happy smile.

Harry shook his head. "He needs reassurance that everything is okay. He's scared of everything changing again. The more he grows to like it here, the more worried he'll be. Us talking about the new house all the time isn't helping."

She turned her head toward him. "What do you suggest?"

"I'm going to talk to him. Beyond that, let's sit down with him tonight. We can all work together to pick out colours and furniture for his new bedroom. Once he's involved, he'll feel less like we're packing up and leaving him behind."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, I like that plan."

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, now that the situation had a future resolution.

"I have cramps," she complained with a pout. Her period had started late last night.

"You don't usually have cramps," he commented with a frown. She waved a hand, unconcerned. "Are you going to stay at home?" A light snort was his only response. Harry rolled his eyes with a small grin. "Right, stupid question. I was planning on heading in an hour early so I can pick him up from daycare. Do you think you can drop him off?"

She nodded and waved him back from the bed. "Let me just hop in the shower first. I'll be two minutes."

"Are you sure?"

"Harry," she scolded lightly.

"Sorry," he apologized, not sounding very sorry at all. She kissed him as she slipped passed and made her way into the bathroom.

:::

"Hey buddy," Harry greeted enthusiastically.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy raced over from his colouring station. He jumped into his godfather's arms who caught him with a laugh. "You're here now?"

Harry hoisted the boy up onto his hip. "Yeah, I came early, thought maybe we could go pick up dinner and surprise Auntie 'Mione with take-out."

"Yeah!"

"Alright," he set Teddy back on his feet. "Go grab your backpack and I'll sign you out." He nodded at one of the daycare workers as he passed back to the office. Harry smiled charmingly at the woman behind the desk as he signed Teddy out. "See you tomorrow, Lucinda."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Potter," the old witch responded with a nod.

Teddy rushed into the hallway, his bright red backpack on his back. "Ready!" he called as he raced towards his uncle.

Harry took his hand and after making sure Teddy was ready, they apparated to the apparition point in downtown London. He cast a mild notice-me-not on Teddy so muggles wouldn't question his hair. It only worked for short periods of time. "What're you thinking?" he asked as they headed down the street. It was bustling with people heading home from work. "Pizza? Pasta? Indian? Burgers?"

"Burgers!" Teddy shouted enthusiastically.

"Burgers it is." They turned into Harry and Hermione's favourite burger place and Harry put in an order for them to go. They waited at a little table for two as their food was being cooked. Teddy happily told him about his day as they waited.

"Auntie Hermione and I wanted to sit down and pick colours with you tonight," Harry informed his godson when he was finished.

"Colours for what?" he asked curiously as he moved his race car back and forth on the tabletop.

"For your bedroom in the new house."

Teddy stilled in his movements. He looked up at Harry with big blue eyes. "My room?"

"Of course. We'd never leave you behind, buddy." Harry leaned forward earnestly. "We're always going to take care of you. Your aunt and I love you more than anything."

"Like Grandma?" Teddy asked quietly.

Harry nodded slowly. "Is that what your nightmares are about? That Hermione and I will have to go away like Grandma?" Teddy looked at him sadly but didn't respond.

"Look at me Teddy," he whispered seriously. "Absolutely nothing and no one could ever take me away from you. I love you, Ted. Grandma loves you just as much as she always did. So does Auntie 'Mione. I know a lot is changing, but how much we love you never will."

"I love you," he responded sweetly.

"I love you too, Ted."

Teddy smiled.

Hermione was curled up on the couch when they got home.

"How you feeling, love?" Harry greeted as he bent down to kiss her.

"Mmm… better now." She turned and smiled at Teddy. "I'd feel _much_ better with some cuddles and kisses."

"Kisses!" Teddy cheered. He raced towards her and crawled onto the couch. Hermione pulled him in and peppered his face with kisses. Teddy laughed gleefully. Harry watched on with a smile on his face.

"I brought burgers," Harry claimed. He raised the bag as evidence but Hermione and Teddy were thoroughly distracted by their little game. Harry smiled and rolled his eyes.

He set the burgers on the counter under a warming charm before joining them on the couch. He sat at the end and pulled Hermione's feet into his lap. His fingers pressed into her soles and had her stretching out like a cat. Teddy had pulled out the remote already and was flipping through the channels on the tele.

"How was work?" he asked her.

She hummed and her lashes fluttered under his ministrations. "Good. Long. I hate getting cramps."

"Did you have some tea?" She hummed an affirmative. "Helped?"

"A bit," she replied noncommittedly. "When will we be looking at paint colours?"

"After dinner."

She pushed her foot into his stomach. "The talk?"

He shot her a grin. "Good, I think. We'll see in the next few days how he's adjusting." He leaned close and pressed a kiss to Teddy's head who was obliviously watching his show. Teddy turned to him and his hair turned unruly black. Harry pressed another kiss to his forehead.

:::

"I love it," Hermione stated. The walls were made of pristine white tiles and the floor was a clean white marble that matched the bathroom countertops. There was a double sink and two square mirrors above each.

The contractor, Sandy, had designed the master bathroom with a standing glass shower and a separate tub. Two big windows looked out over the west side of the property. A black, artistic looking chandelier hung from the centre of the bathroom.

"It's my dream bathroom," Hermione exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Sandy did a magnificent job. The others have a bit more colour, for the kids."

"Detached showers?"

"Nah," Harry wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "that's just for us." He pressed his lips close to her ear and whispered, "I can't wait to fuck you in it."

Hermione hummed and pressed her bum back into his groin. "I know a charm so the glass won't steam up. We'll be able to see ourselves in the mirror," she whispered enticingly. Harry groaned into the side of her neck. She turned in his embrace to wrap her arms around his neck. "Let's test it out."

"Hermione…" he scolded even as his hands gripped her arse. "We're supposed to be _helping_."

She pouted exaggeratedly. "You're no fun."

He licked and nibbled at her earlobe. His voice was husky as he whispered, "That's not what you were saying last night." A smile stretched across Hermione's face. Last night, they had dropped Teddy off with Grams and Gramps. It was the first time they'd had the apartment to themselves since the wedding. The entire night had been spent naked and at one point, covered in chocolate sauce.

"It was like a second honeymoon," Hermione agreed with a little, happy shrug.

Harry gave her behind a little smack. "Come on, we need to pick colours for a couple more rooms before we go pick Teddy up." Harry led her out into the newly painted master bedroom. Everything was done up in tones of cream and white. Hermione preferred the clean, modern style most often found in muggle homes. They'd already ordered the furniture they wanted, which would be coming two weeks from then.

"I can't believe how fast Sandy has gotten this done."

"It's been about a month and a half," Harry reminded her.

Hermione paused and her eyes widened. "It's been a _month and a half_." Harry smiled and nodded. She shook her head. "It feels like we just got married." She almost sounded sad about it. "Time passes so quickly."

"And yet," Harry replied as he wrapped his arms around her again, "very little has changed." Hermione raised her eyebrows in question. "When I picked Ted up the other day, one of the girls at the daycare congratulated me on the fact that you're having a baby."

Hermione groaned loudly. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

He laughed at her exasperated expression. "He's relentless."

"It needs to stop."

He shrugged and shot her a wink. "Or we could have a baby. That'd shut him up." Hermione rolled her eyes and walked away. "Oh, come on! It's a joke!"

Hermione huffed and spun around. "No, it's not, because you actually mean that."

"We're not ready to have kids this second."

"But you'd be ecstatic if we did. If I got pregnant, you'd be over the moon." She didn't mean it to sound so accusing but the little smile on his face was really pissing her off.

"Can you blame me?"

"Stop it," she ordered. "Stop smiling at me." He slowly walked towards her, his smile growing. He lunged forward. Hermione jumped away. "Harry!" Hermione dashed into the next room they were planning to turn into her private office. Harry caught her around her waist and lifted her into the air. She laughed as he spun around.

Their laughter fell away when they saw what was waiting for them in the room. Two wooden, antique bassinets. One was high with four posters, decorated with carvings of the stars and moon. The second was lower and larger, as if for a toddler rather than a baby.

"Harry…"

"I didn't do it," he immediately responded.

She slowly shook her head. "Where the hell did they come from?"

Harry's brows slowly drew together. "The house?" he guessed unsurely. They still couldn't get into the attic. Sandy had told him that every time they finished renovating a room, a random piece of furniture would show up.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She looked up at the ceiling. "Really? You're supposed to be on my side!"

Harry laughed. "Don't be mad at the old girl, she's just trying to help." He kissed her temple. "And they are rather beautiful."

She turned to him and whispered, "They look haunted."

"We don't have to use them," he whispered back.

"We _won't_ because I'm _not_ pregnant." She narrowed her eyes again and looked around the small room. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that it was supposed to be a nursery. "Let's paint this room something dark. Black."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's move on. We'll come back to it later." He took her hand and dragged her towards the door that led out to the hallway.

Hermione turned and pointed a finger at the cribs as she allowed herself to be pulled away. "Get rid of those things!" she shouted at the house. "Absolutely ridiculous. Everyone is against me."

:::

Hermione and Teddy snuggled together on the couch in their pyjamas. She had brought her blanket from the bedroom to fight off the chills of their illness. Teddy had come home a few days ago with a slight cold that had snowballed into a full-on flu. He'd gotten Hermione sick within days and the two had ended up camped out in the living room while they wallowed.

They spent three days at home. Teddy's fever fluctuated and he spent most of his time sleeping, only eating a little and throwing most of it up. Hermione, meanwhile, was living off of crackers and Gatorade. They sat on the couch and watched movies all day.

"Alright," Harry said, announcing his presence as he stepped through the door. He kicked it closed behind him since his hands were full of groceries. "I got crackers!"

Hermione and Teddy cheered from the couch.

Harry set the groceries on the counter. He leaned forward when he heard singing from the tele. "Is that _Lion King_?"

Hermione got up from the couch with a groan. She came around into the kitchen to help with the groceries. "The sequel."

"1 and 1⁄2?" She nodded and he grinned. "That's the best one." Harry put away the honey and stepped up behind her. "How're you feeling?" he asked after he pressed a kiss to her head.

She shrugged glumly. "My nose is all blocked up and I can't keep anything down."

"Did you try to eat something?"

"The soup you made yesterday." She made a face. "It didn't go over well."

He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head again. "It'll be over soon." Hermione groaned. She turned in his arms and pressed her face into his chest. He pressed his lips against her forehead and felt for her temperature. It had gone down a lot in the past 24 hours. "You seem better." He pulled back and handed her the crackers. "I'm going to check on Teddy."

"He wasn't sick all day," she told him as she opened the box. "He napped, mostly."

Harry nodded. "Good." He went and checked on Teddy while Hermione put away the rest of the groceries. She wrinkled her nose at the fruits and vegetables. Everything looked unappetizing when she was ill.

She finished putting away the groceries and picked up the stack of mail Harry had brought home. Her Aunt Sarah had travelled to Berlin for work and promised to send her a postcard. Hermione had a small collection of them from all her family's travels. She stopped when she found the cream envelope addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Potter" in golden cursive.

Hermione flipped the envelope over and gently opened the seal. "Harry," she called.

"Yeah?"

"We just got an invite to Neville's wedding."

Harry entered the kitchen, a bemused expression on his face. "Really? Him and Susan Bones?"

"Soon to be Longbottom," she responded with a smirk. "They're so cute. I'm glad they were matched. Neville would have been heartbroken if Susie had needed to marry anyone else."

"When is it?" Harry asked. He picked up the rest of the mail and pulled out what was his own.

"February." She raised her eyebrows. "They're getting married before their deadline. Not surprising, really. They were a real couple before all this started." She opened the card and smiled brightly. "Teddy's invited too!"

"That's sweet of them," Harry responded absentmindedly. His eyebrows were drawn together and his eyes lacked their usual vibrancy. He was looking down at the letter in his hands. It was another invitation.

"What is it?"

Harry swallowed. "Ginny and Blaise's invitation." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's uhm… it's in early December."

Hermione munched on a cracker silently. "Are you okay?"

Harry looked up at her and blinked quickly. The sight of her seemed to bring him back to himself. "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Just… feels weird, you know?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Harry looked down at the invitation and let out a deep breath. "Teddy's not invited to this one."

Hermione snorted. "I'm not surprised."

"Auntie 'Mione…" Teddy whined from the couch.

"Duty calls. I think Ted wants grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight, by the way." Hermione touched his arm as she passed by.

"On it." He stuck a magnet to each invitation, effectively pinning them to the fridge. It was weird the way life moved on, but Harry was in a happy place. He hoped Ginny would be happy in the future as well.

:::

Hermione turned in front of the mirror as she inspected the way the black lace bra cut into her sides. It fit well enough, but there was something uncomfortable about the cups. She pouted as she took it off and put it back on the hanger. It was official, she'd gone up a size.

Harry needed to stop baking cookies on the weekend, she ate far too many of them. She was fairly positive that she ate most of them throughout the week. And he definitely needed to stop making those strawberry oat muffins. Hermione's mouth began to water just thinking about them. She thought there might have been two more in the bread box when she'd left with Teddy that morning.

The second she was done here, she was picking Teddy up from daycare and heading home for muffins and a cuppa. Merlin, that sounded like heaven. She almost groaned when she remembered she promised Grams they'd come over for dinner. All she wanted was that muffin.

She tried on the lace nude bra next. It was the usual balcony style she preferred that was low enough that it suited all her different work blouses and dresses. There was something about it that was just irritating. She needed something softer on her chest.

This was why Hermione hated bra shopping the week before her period. Her breasts hurt, she was too focused on her cravings to care really, and she was bloated. The fact that she wanted food but also felt like her stomach was a balloon was possibly the worst part.

She pressed her hand against the dressing room wall as a wave of nausea hit her. Okay, she thought, the _nausea_ was the worst part. She took a couple of deep breaths. The nausea passed and Hermione opened her eyes.

She picked up the next bra and tried it on. It was a deep ruby red made of a silky material and lace. There was underwire, but the cups weren't structured. Hermione sighed happily when she put it on. Yes. This was exactly what she needed. She took the bra off and was only mildly annoyed when she saw that it was a whole cup size larger. Melin, she was going to kill Harry.

Hermione stuffed her old bra into her purse and ripped the tag off the new one. She refused to go home in the one she'd been wearing. She put her blouse back on and gathered her things. Once back on the floor of the shop, she picked up two more colours in the bra she was wearing and went to the cash.

"All done?" the bubbly blonde asked with a smile.

Hermione nodded. "Thanks for your help earlier. I loved the one you pointed out. I'll be getting these and I'm wearing this one out."

"Couldn't wait?"

"It's like my chest is encased in clouds, I refuse to take it off."

The shopkeeper laughed at her response. She wrapped up Hermione's purchases in a soft pink coloured tissue paper before placing them in the store's signature bag. Hermione handed the other witch her money. "Our maternity bras are the best on the line," the shopkeeper explained as she handed Hermione her change. "I wear them and I'm not even pregnant."

Hermione stilled. She looked up from her purse. "I beg your pardon?"

"The bra? It's our specialty maternity bra. We also have nursing bras you can take a look at if you like. Though I do recommend waiting until you've been nursing for a few days before buying any. Your bust will likely grow again."

Hermione blinked rapidly. She shook her head. "I'm not pregnant."

The witch's eyes widened. "You're not? But Teddy said you were!"

Hermione was momentarily speechless. "I - how… You know Teddy?"

The witch blinked in shock. "What? No, of course not." She laughed like Hermione was hilarious. Hermione fought hard not to pull her wand. "It's in _Witch Weekly_." The shopkeeper pulled out a copy of the magazine and handed it over.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at the cover. She never bothered to read the gossip rag and the cover clearly illustrated why. It was a photo of her walking down Diagon Alley, speculating about her 'baby bump.' Hermione rolled her eyes. What concerned her was the moving picture of Teddy smiling happily in the bottom corner.

Hermione flipped to the corresponding article and felt her entire body freeze over. It was an interview with Teddy. When had this monstrosity of a paper _interviewed_ him? She had not okayed this and she knew Harry never would. Her eyes flickered through the article, where Teddy expounded about how happy he was to have a little brother soon. She inwardly groaned.

Then she saw it. He'd been interviewed at his daycare. His _daycare_. Hermione's temper shot through the roof.

"Can I have this?" she asked the startled shop keeper. The girl blinked and before she could respond, Hermione was gone. She had taken the magazine with her.

Hermione exited onto Diagon Alley before apparating directly to the daycare. Her heels clicked with a satisfying purpose as she made her way through the entrance to the main office. "Lucinda!" Hermione greeted brusquely. "Is Maria in? Yes? Good."

She stormed past the front desk and past the protesting witch to the director's office. She entered Maria's office without knocking and slammed the door shut behind her, cutting off Lucinda's protests.

"Mrs. Potter!" Maria jumped to her feet. "How can I -"

"-Is this what I think it is?" She tossed the magazine onto the desk between them. Maria's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. "Who the _hell_ gave you the right to let reporter's interview _my son_?" She continued before Maria could respond. "He is here to learn and play! You're required to teach him his ABC's. You are not his guardian. This is completely inappropriate!"

"Mrs. Granger, I'm so sorry. The reporter said you and Mr. Potter had agreed beforehand -"

"-And you actually believed that hogwash?" Hermione leaned forward. Her curls coiled tighter with her rage and pent up magic. "Did they have written consent? Did you even bother to ask or did you just take the money and turn a blind eye?"

Maria swallowed. She choked on her words.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "How much? How much money did you take?"

"I can give it to you?"

If anything, the offer only made Hermione even angrier. "I don't want it. I just want to know how much it cost you to sell out your own respectability. You had absolutely no right to allow this. Was there even someone in the room during the interview?"

"We were all at the park!" Maria defended. "It'd - it'd already started when we noticed."

"So not only are you unethical but you're incompetent as well. Good to know." Hermione took a deep breath. She leaned forward and rested the tips of her fingers on Maria's desk. "If anything like this ever happens again, I will _ruin you_. Do you understand me? They will build a bloody funeral home in this building because no one will want to walk these halls but the dead. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Hermione straightened. She spun around and left before Maria could say another word. Her fingers shook and her heart raced inside her chest. Hermione had never been so furious with any individual. Teddy was a _child_. He couldn't be left alone with strangers and he certainly couldn't be interviewed alone, let alone at all.

Hermione put on a bright smile when she saw her young charge. His hair was still the bright blueberry colour he'd turned it to at breakfast that day. "Teddy!"

"Auntie 'Mione!" He dropped his crayons and raced over. "I learnt a new song today, do you want to hear?"

She smiled and hugged him close. "How about after dinner tonight? Uncle Harry can hear it then too."

"Will Uncle Harry be home for dinner?"

Hermione frowned and shook her head. "Not today. He's got to finish up some things at work. I was thinking we could have dinner with Grams and Gramps?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" he cheered.

"Alright, Teddy Bear. Go grab your backpack." Teddy raced off and Hermione stood back up. She looked down the hall to the office but didn't see or hear anything. She didn't want to see Maria again before she left. When Teddy was ready, she led him to the entrance and they apparated to the destination point closest to her grandparents' home. It was a short walk through the suburb before they reached the house.

Teddy rang the doorbell and smiled happily when a song rang out in lieu of the classic ring. The door opened a minute later and Grams greeted them both with a bright smile. "Come here, kid." She pulled Teddy into a tight hug. "Shoes on, your Gramps is in the backyard. Go right on through."

"Gramps!" Teddy yelled as he raced into the house.

Hermione snorted in amusement. She turned a happy, tired smile on her grandmother. "Hey, Grams."

"Hi, sweetheart." They hugged and Hermione followed her inside. "How was work?"

"Ugh, horrible." They went into the kitchen where Grams was making lemonade. "I told you I had to change my projects, remember?"

"With all the new rules or something?"

She rolled her eyes. "Stupid safety. Must they care about our health? It's like they _don't _want us to die." She picked up a cherry tomato from a platter of vegetables and popped in her mouth. She made a face and went to the fridge. "Do you have strawberries?" Damn, she'd really wanted that muffin and tea.

"Second shelf. Aren't you done fixing your projects yet?"

She gasped excitedly when she found the strawberries. She pulled them out and immediately opened the box. Grams snatched them away with a severe look before running them under the tap. She set them on the counter with a plate under them.

Hermione ate the first three strawberries in a flash. She moaned happily. Once she'd swallowed, she said, "I just finished. My boss will let me know on Friday if I can go forward. It'll take some time to prep and then I can get to work."

"Well, that's good. So what's wrong?" Grams ate a strawberry before turning back to her glass jug of lemonade. She stirred it with a long wooden spoon.

Hermione made a face. "I almost pulled Teddy out of daycare today."

"Permanently?" She nodded. "Teddy loves it there. You said it was providing stability. Do you really think -"

"- The director let him be interviewed by a reporter. _Alone_. It's in a bleeding magazine."

Grams' eyes darkened. "What did you do?"

"I'm pretty positive I scared her so badly she peed a bit." Grams snorted in amusement. "I also may have implied I was going to ruin her business if anything like this ever happened again. And by that I mean I outright stated it."

Grams nodded once. "Good. That's completely unethical. She can't be allowed to do that."

Hermione ate another strawberry. "I'll have to contact the _Prophet_ and have them send out a whole 'she's _not_ pregnant' thing." Grams snorted again. "It's not funny."

"He just wants a family."

"We're already a family."

Grams nodded. She pulled the spoon from the glass jug and placed it in the sink. "I know that. You know that. But Teddy is young and all around him are the traditional families that the Weasley's have. I'm sure he's wanted the same thing for a long time. As close as you and Harry come to that, he's fairly convinced you need a baby to make it complete. Once you're parents, you can be _his_ parents."

Hermione nodded and sighed. "He's going to be upset, isn't he?"

Grams shrugged. "He'll get over it. Why don't you send him to school? He's old enough."

"The wizarding world doesn't have primary schools. Harry and I want to send him somewhere muggle, but we can't until…" She gestured to her hair.

Grams nodded. She smirked when she recalled Gramps' startled swear when he'd seen Teddy's hair change colour for the first time. "What does Harry think?"

Hermione's cheeks turned pink. She stuffed her mouth with a strawberry.

"Oh, Hermione."

"I was angry," she defended. "It all happened very quickly."

Grams shook her head. "Good luck, kid."

"You think he'll be mad?"

"He'd probably be angrier if you actually had pulled Teddy out without talking to him first. Just make sure you talk to him," Grams lectured with her eyebrow raised.

Hermione nodded. "I will."

"Good." Grams hefted up the tray with lemonade and glasses. "Your Gramps is barbequing, let's bring this out." Hermione took the strawberries and followed her through the house and out the backdoor.

Teddy was racing around the grass, flying his toy werewolf around Gramps' extensive garden. Every summer he grew his own fruits and vegetables. He had a fairly impressive collection of cucumber and tomato plants, a few apple trees, and even a blackberry bush climbing up the back fence.

"The garden looks beautiful this year, Gramps," Hermione complimented as she came down the porch steps and to the patio below.

"Thanks, sweetie," Gramps responded. He gave her a kiss and a hug before gesturing to the barbeque. "How's she looking?"

"Like she needs a paint job." He raised an eyebrow at her quip. "Oh! You mean the chicken." Hermione smiled cheekily. "Looks and smells great."

Grams let out a short laugh. "You're asking '_Mione_'s opinion on food? Wally, you should know better!"

"Hey! I've gotten better. Harry's taught me a thing or two. I can make toast without burning it." Grams did not look convinced. "Oh, whatever."

Hermione kicked off her heels and played around in the grass with Teddy for a bit. The sun slowly began to set after dinner had passed. Teddy and Gramps were playing a card game that looked suspiciously like it had no rules while Hermione and Grams gossiped about the family.

"Ding dong!" a familiar voice called.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy cheered. He jumped up and raced towards his uncle. Harry caught him and scooped the boy up into his arms. "You missed chicken! Auntie 'Mione almost _hurled_."

Harry turned to his wife and raised an eyebrow. She held her bowl of fresh strawberries. "I'm good with what I have."

Harry shook his head. He was used to her weird period cravings, though usually, it was fries dipped in ice cream. At least this month it was healthy. He sat down next to her and let Teddy go back to his game with Gramps. "I thought your illness passed?"

"It has, I'm just a little extra nauseous this month." Hermione waved it off. It was a fairly common period symptom for her.

Grams smirked as she sipped her wine. "Are you sure you're not -"

"- Don't you dare finish that sentence," Hermione snapped. Grams chortled and looked away. Hermione turned back to her husband. "We need to have another talk with Teddy later."

"He's been saying you're pregnant again?" Harry guessed easily.

"We'll talk about it at home." He nodded before leaning forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "How was work?"

"Difficult," he sighed sadly. Working in the children's ward was mostly rewarding, but some things can't be fixed and some children can't be saved. Harry tried not to take it home with him. It was still an exhausting job.

Hermione gently touched his cheek. "Do you want to head out?"

"In a bit." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. They settled in together and talked with Grams. Not long later, Teddy grew tired. The family of three said their goodbyes as they got their things together. Grams packed up some food for them before sending them on their way. Hermione's grandparents stood on the front porch and waved goodbye as the trio left. They didn't go back inside until Harry, Hermione, and Teddy were out of sight.

Once back at home, Harry took Teddy into the bathroom for a quick bath. Hermione puttered around the flat, cleaning up Teddy's toys and her books. Their home was far too small for all three of them.

As far as the renovations on Stinchcombe House felt like they'd gotten, they still needed to redo the front porch and the roof. Not to mention gut and rework the entire kitchen. Harry said the earliest they could move would probably be December. The contractors were working on getting the heating and cooling charms set, but it was starting to look like they would need Harry to cast them. Stinchcombe House was finicky at best and it preferred Harry's magic over anyone else's.

Hermione dropped her books off in the bedroom and read for a bit. When she heard Harry starting to put Teddy down for bed, she got up to change. Her husband entered the room as she was searching for a pyjama top.

"Is that new?"

Hermione looked up and smiled at the appreciation in Harry's stare. "You like?"

Harry pursed his lips in consideration. He closed the door behind him. A shiver of anticipation went down Hermione's spine when she felt the silencing ward fall into place. Harry stepped up to her and gently cupped her silk and lace-clad breasts. "I definitely like the colour."

"Gryffindor red," she agreed.

He hummed. His thumb stroked across her covered nipple and she arched into the action. "What's the occasion?"

Hermione laughed shortly. "The occasion is that all my weight is going to my chest and I needed new bras."

"There's _more_ like this?" he asked, easily side-stepping her accusation. He knew her comments were mostly in jest. Even with her added weight, she was still perfectly healthy. She was only slightly annoyed by the change.

Hermione closed her eyes and hummed as he played with her breasts. "Be a good boy and I might let you see them."

His hands trailed down to her skirt. He unzipped the back and let the fabric fall to the floor. His hands gripped her behind. "How benevolent of you," he murmured against her lips. Hermione closed the distance between them. She kissed him hotly. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her body pressed against his own.

They worked together to rid Harry of his robes. Hermione's knickers were tossed over Harry's shoulder as he crawled up the bed towards her. He ravaged her mouth as his fingers played with her overly sensitive chest. Hermione moaned. She thrust her chest up into his hands, still clad in the silky red fabric.

Harry pressed a knee between her thighs. She eagerly spread her legs for his weight to settle between them. She loved the feel of how his body fit so perfectly against her own. His arms snaked under her body and he rolled onto his back. Hermione smiled when she found herself sitting atop his beautifully naked self.

Her eyes closed in bliss as she slowly slid down the length of him. Harry's fingers curled around her hips. He helped guide her through her slow rhythm. Her hands pressed against his chest. Hermione's head fell back as she let out a long moan.

"Fuck, 'Mione." Harry's hips met her own in her languid movements. "Take your hair down." Hermione pulled out the hair tie that was keeping her brown locks in a tight bun. Her curls fell around her shoulders. "You're so beautiful."

She bit her lip. Her toes curled. "H-Harry," she stuttered out. Her rhythm increased as she chased her high.

"That's it, love," he encouraged. His thumb dragged roughly against her clit. Hermione gasped and her eyes closed. Her thighs tensed. Her nails dragged across his chest as her fingers curled. Harry clenched his jaw as she climaxed. She fell forward onto his chest. He rolled them both until Hermione was on her back again. He pressed kisses to the side of her face and her neck.

Hermione moaned as he thrust deeper into her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist as he chased his own high. Hermione felt her body begin to tighten again. She closed her eyes and clenched around him. Harry swore into the side of her neck.

She released a breathy gasp as Harry came. He groaned. She kissed the side of his face. Hermione cupped his cheeks in her hands and danced kisses across his nose and cheekbones. He turned his head to meet her lips with his own and kissed her lazily. His hand snuck under her body and unclipped her bra. Hermione sighed with relief as he helped her out of her last article of clothing.

Harry tossed it to the floor.

"Well," he said at length, "I definitely approve of the new bra." Hermione laughed. His hand stroked up the side of her body. Their legs stayed tangled together. "And you were upset that you were gaining weight."

"I _am_ upset," she corrected.

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'll make you a salad for lunch," he promised. Hermione rolled her eyes. She winced when she felt her insides cramp. Harry, having expected this so close to her perood, spooned her side and gently rubbed circles over her stomach. "What did you want to talk about?"

Hermione groaned loudly. "_Witch Weekly_ released an interview with Teddy, which was facilitated by the daycare we send him to."

Harry jerked back in surprise. "_What_?"

"I ripped into Maria for it," Hermione assured. She took his frozen hand encouraged him to continue his soft strokes along her abdomen. "And by that I mean I put the fear of God into her and she will never cross us again."

Harry sat up. "I'm sorry, _what_ happened?"

She sat up as well, her cramps were already lessening and she fought to ignore them in favour of the serious conversation they were having. "Maria allowed Teddy to be interviewed, during which he told _Witch Weekly_ how I'm pregnant." She shot Harry a look. He shook his head and rubbed his forehead in response. "I saw the magazine while I was shopping."

"Should we pull him?" he asked seriously.

Hermione shook her head. "Teddy loves it there. And like I said, I terrified her. She won't dare cross us again. If she does something like this again, I'll ruin her." Hermione shrugged simply.

"We need to talk to Teddy about this baby stuff."

"We have talked to Teddy," Hermione argued. "I have a better idea." Harry raised an eyebrow in question. "We're going to get him something to distract him."

"Like?"

"You're getting a new familiar."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He looked around their bedroom. "Do we have enough space for a familiar?"

She waved her hand. "Nix is here. She hardly takes up any room."

"Only because she can _teleport_." Hermione snorted. "She just disappears and randomly appears when convenient. Or rather, inconvenient," he finished, disgruntled by the number of times the cat had jumped between them when they'd been otherwise engaged.

"You can go with Teddy this weekend," she said as if he hadn't spoken. Her tone was one he knew all too well. He was getting a familiar.

* * *

Who else is stuck at home with nothing else to do but read and write fanfic? Hands up! Hope everyone is staying healthy and staying safe. I ended up getting the hell out of South Korea before it completely blew up. I'm back in Canada and safely at home with my parents. My heart goes out to everyone who's been affected by everything that is going on.

I hope my story helps bring you a little joy and some much needed escapism.

For anyone hoping for more plot, I apologize but this is basically just a filler chapter. More plot in the next chapter :)

Thanks for reading!

xx


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